Kindred Spirits
by Gravaja Umbros
Summary: After saving the world from the Grave Eclipse Matthew and Sveta learn that the other returns their love.  It looks like happily ever after is just around the corner, but is it?  Politics, fear, and conspiracies will make love anything but easy!
1. Returning Home

Matthew watched as the port of Belinsk came closer into view. It wouldn't be long now. Soon their group would be breaking up. Matthew, Karis, and Tyrell would continue on foot from Belinsk, finding some way through Bilibin to reach Lookout Cabin. Amiti and Himi would stay with Eoleo and the ship for a while and let him drop them off. It was a necessity for Himi, and simply the easiest way to reach Ayuthay for Amiti. Rief would stay with Kraden. Matthew wasn't sure if they intended to follow them to Lookout Cabin, or if they would head off in search of ancient ruins to explore. He hoped they would join them for the last leg of the journey, but didn't really expect it.

Then there was Sveta. She would stay in Belinsk of course. She would tell her people of Volechek's final moments, and would lead her people from here on out. They would need a strong leader to help them rebuild the nation in the wake of the Grave Eclipse. Fortunately, this journey had done wonders for Morgal's international relations. Ayuthay, Champa, and Yamato would be fast friends with Morgal. While there was still bad blood between Morgal and Sana at least the leaders of the two nations were now in agreement for peace. Kaocho had been badly hurt by the Grave Eclipse, and even if what remained refused offers of peace from their neighbors they would still be unable to wage war for the time being. Bilibin and the Tuaparang were Morgal's only worries for the moment. Bilibin would have been hurt by the Grave Eclipse, but not nearly so much as Morgal. If they blamed Morgal they could start a war, and Morgal would not have much to fight back with. They would have to rely on allies from Sana and other neighbors to help them defend themselves. The Tuaparang were a larger problem, but not an immediate one. If they chose to attack, they could do it from almost anywhere. They could attack swiftly, withdraw to their ships, and leave before any reinforcements arrived. They were clearly an aggressive nation, and had big plans for the future. However, they didn't have anything against Morgal personally. They could just as easily attack Bilibin, or Kalay, or even another continent for that matter. Plus, they didn't seem to want to wage war. They preferred working from the shadows, and manipulating their enemies into fighting each other. Whether this would still be the case or not now that Alex seemed to have left them remained to be seen.

Still, Sveta would have her hands full. Matthew would find a way back home and deliver the feather. It seemed a rather anti-climactic end to this journey. He would deliver the feather, his father would fix the soarwing, his father would travel to Sol Sanctum, and his father would figure out how to save the world from the Mourning Moon. After having done so much, Matthew was back to being a simple delivery boy, so the real hero could do his job. Of course, he was now nearly as powerful an adept as his father was, and he was sure that both his power and experience would be useful to Isaac. He would likely still have a large role to play, but it would be second to that of his father. Perhaps he could even find an excuse to come back to Morgal?

"Matthew?"

Matthew turned to face the voice he recognized so well. "Yes, Sveta?"

"Could I talk to you? In private?"

On deck, Eoleo's crew was scurrying about, doing whatever it took to work a ship like this one. Matthew had never really learned much about how the ship actually operated. "Of course."

Matthew's cabin was another matter. It was the most private place in the whole ship; the captain's quarters. At first, Matthew had tried to insist that Eoleo take the room. After all, this was his ship and his crew. While Matthew was the leader of their group, Eoleo was the captain. Eoleo had refused. He had insisted that until the Eclipse was over, he hadn't yet earned his father's title. Matthew was leading them, and the room was his. Matthew appreciated it, but it could get lonely being the only one in the room. Especially because he had gotten used to sharing tents or rooms at whatever inn they were staying at with the rest of the group. Sitting up talking around the campfire until they got too sleepy to continue. Having a room all to himself seemed unnatural.

Matthew closed the door, essentially sound proofing the room. "What is it, Sveta?"

"I wanted…" she hesitated, and looked down at her feet. "I wanted to apologize."

Matthew was stunned. What did Sveta have to apologize for? "I don't understand."

"For what I did at the Apollo Lens. It was selfish, and stupid, and dangerous, and I'll understand if you never forgive me."

If Matthew had been confused before, it was a hundred times worse now. The Apollo Lens? Sveta had been the most generous, self-sacrificing, noble person he had ever known. She was the reason they were able to reach the lens in the first place. She had placed herself in more danger than anyone. She had lost her brother, and maintained her composure despite that. She had been ready to die if she had to. "I… I don't know what to say."

"You can tell me what you really think," she said, her voice quiet and quavering. "I understand how you must feel."

She easily could have if she used her Spirit Sense. Matthew wished he had a similar ability so he could tell what she was talking about. "Sveta, what do you have to be sorry for?"

She looked up at him, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "I risked your life for nothing, just because I was selfish."

Matthew quickly hugged Sveta, without even thinking, and she began crying into his shoulder. "You did not risk my life for nothing. You were not selfish. You weren't even the one who risked my life."

"Yes I did," she said. "I didn't know if I could activate it on my own. I insisted you help me, and then I didn't even need to because Volechek-"

"Sveta," Matthew said reassuringly, rubbing her back through her thick hair. "You didn't insist, you asked. I volunteered to help you. Even if you didn't ask, I would have done anything I could have to help you. It did have a purpose too," he added. "No one knew Volechek would do that. After the fight we didn't even know he could do it. He probably never would have had he not seen how his wonderful sister was willing to risk her life to save everyone else."

"I don't even know that I needed you," Sveta choked out. "I was just afraid to go alone. Maybe I would've needed you, but maybe I wouldn't. But I didn't even try on my own. I knew that if you helped me you were risking yourself, and you had already been exposed to more light than anyone, but I just didn't want to face that on my own."

"I understand," Matthew promised. "Believe me, I understand." He sighed, and wondered how he could reassure this wonderful woman in his arms. "Sveta, you remember how I helped you?"

"How could I forget," she said. "You… you came with me to the lens."

"Do you know how I did that?"

Sveta shook her head. "I'd never seen anything like it."

"I don't know how I did it either," Matthew confessed. "I just knew I had to help you. I wanted to do everything for you. To give you the strength to climb that ladder. To give you the courage to face that light. I wanted to do everything for you. If by helping you, I could make it just a little easier for you to accomplish that, I would, whether we survived or not. And if my help gave you the strength to survive something that would have killed you otherwise, there was no way I could say no, even if it killed me. I had those thoughts. I wanted to do everything, and then it happened."

Sveta sniffed, and her shaking lessened a bit. "You would be willing to die to keep me alive?"

"Yes," Matthew said without hesitating.

"Why would you do that?" she said. "I don't understand you."

"And if you were going to die anyway, then I would want to be with you even more. I can't let you face that alone."

She shook her head. "You're too kind, Matthew. If you do that for all your friends, you'll have no life of your own."

"Not all my friends," he said. He pulled back a little so he could look into Sveta's eyes. "Just you."

Sveta swallowed hard. "Me?"

He nodded, leaning in close. "You." Their noses touched for a moment, and then their lips came together. They stayed like that for a time, just kissing and taking each other in.

"Matthew," Sveta said finally, breaking their kiss.

"Yes, Sveta?"

"I love you Matthew."

He smiled broadly. "I love you too."

* * *

><p>As the people of Belinsk waved and begged Matthew to stay, he was highly tempted. The people loved him, their queen loved him, and he loved her. It was a beautiful city, and Morgal would need help in the days to come. Right now, though, he had a mission to finish. But once that was done, there was no reason he couldn't return.<p>

* * *

><p>Author's note: Yay! The first chapter of my new ongoing fic is up! Now, in case you were wondering, this does not take place in the same version of things as "Misunderstanding". That is a completely separate, stand-alone story. This does take place in the same version of things as "Learning From the Past". This chapter, as well as the next chapter or two, take place before "Learning From the Past" but this story will go past the events in that one. If you haven't read it, it does have some spoilers for this story (regarding the direction Matthew and Sveta's relationship goes). That one is also a mudshipping fic. Since it takes place in the same continuity as this one, it means mudshipping will happen here too. But it's not going to play a big part in this story, and both stories do completely follow Golden Sun canon to the best of my knowledge. So if you absolutely can't stand mudshipping, you've been warned. If you don't like it, but you do like spiritshipping and like this story so far, you don't have to worry much about it. I'm sorry this chapter is so short. The first two or three chapters of this will likely be pretty short, and after that I expect them to get longer. I plan on releasing a chapter a week. I hate telling people my publishing schedule, because then I feel bad if I don't make it. However, announcing my schedule does give me greater incentive to stick to it. Please review both this and my other stories! Thanks, love you guys!<p> 


	2. Coronation

"People of Morgal, honored guests, and friends," the woman nodded at the crowd of people. "It is my privilege to formally introduce you to our queen, Queen Sveta Czamaral!"

Matthew clapped along with everyone else as Sveta stood and waved to her people. He smiled seeing how loved she seemed to be. He looked around at everyone who had gathered to attend the event.

While Sveta had been made queen immediately upon her return, it had been a swift and private affair. The people of Morgal were now having a more public and official coronation for their already crowned queen. Most of the crowd was simply citizens of Morgal, standing in an open area in front of Sveta. Matthew was seated in a special balcony to the side, along with the others who had travelled together to stop the Grave Eclipse. Matthew was glad everyone had been able to make it.

At another identical balcony across from where Matthew sat were the foreign dignitaries. Matthew recognized Hou Ju, who was there representing Sana. Ivan, Karis' father, sat there to represent Kalay. He had wanted to sit with his daughter in the other booth, but was very politely told that it was for "Warriors of the Eclipse" only, though they were thrilled to have a Warrior of Vale present. Imil, Yamata, Champa, and Ayuthay had felt that their Warriors of the Eclipse were sufficient representation, and had not sent anyone else. Matthew could also recognize Kan-Shuku, there on behalf of Kaocho. He sat next to a nervous-looking young man, who Matthew was told was representing Tolbi, and an unpleasant looking older woman dressed in Bilibin's national colors. Kan-Shuku and the Bilibin woman did not look pleased to be "honoring" Sveta.

"At this time we not only acknowledge our new queen, but we also mourn for our previous ruler," the speaker said. "King Volechek sacrificed himself to save the world from the Grave Eclipse. In life, he led the people of Morgal to claim independence, and ruled with wisdom. In death, he proved himself to be a hero one last time. Three cheers for Volechek!"

The crowd cheered wildly for their warrior king. Matthew noticed they left out the fact that his involvement with the Tuaparang helped cause the Grave Eclipse in the first place. He was willing to bet that little fact would be left out of all Morgal's history books, while Bilibin would probably try to make it look like Volechek was an evil mastermind and had only accidentally stopped it.

"Volechek was not alone in stopping the Grave Eclipse. We have with us today, the Warriors of the Eclipse," the woman gestured up to Matthew's balcony. "Those warriors, and our beloved queen, worked together to put an end to the blight of darkness our land suffered. This night we honor them, and all those who lost their lives in the tragic events which fell upon this land, as we celebrate the start of our queen's reign. Queen Sveta," the speaker turned to Sveta, "may your reign be long and your judgments wise."

Matthew smiled at Sveta. He was sure she would be a great queen, but that wasn't why he was smiling. Instead, he was thinking of the moment they shared before they returned to Belinsk. Sveta caught his eye for a moment, but quickly looked away. Matthew was surprised that there was a slight frown on her face where there hadn't been before.

Everyone began to shuffle off to the final event of the evening. For most of the townspeople, that meant a party at whatever tavern or inn was their favorite. For a number of the guests and nobles, though, it was a grand ball in the palace. Matthew noticed that neither the representative for Bilibin nor Koacho stayed for the ball.

"May I have this dance?"

"Dad, you're embarrassing me," Karis said, slapping away her father's hand.

"It is traditional that when both a father and daughter attend such an event that the father be the first to dance with his daughter," Ivan said. "It is only proper."

Karis hesitated, unsure if her father was telling the truth, or just trying to embarrass her further.

"That is the tradition," Amiti nodded to her. "Even at state weddings, the father dances with his daughter before handing her off to her new husband."

Karis nodded, trusting Amiti not to pull her leg. "Okay then. Shall we?" she said, allowing her father to take her to the dance floor.

"I would've thought Karis would be up on all the formal traditions," Tyrell said. "After all, Ivan is Hammet's heir."

"Kalay has always tried to be more relaxed about such things," Matthew said, knowing from whenever he visited his mother there. "And Ivan rarely goes to state functions, and when he does he usually lets Karis sit them out."

Matthew was waiting for his chance to dance with Sveta. She may be queen, but she was also his girlfriend. Still, no one knew that, and everyone wanted the chance to dance with the new queen.

"Alright, let's find us the hottest girl here," Tyrell said, rubbing his hands and looking around.

"Sorry, kid," Eoleo said, "I've got dibs on the hottest three girls. You can take what's left."

"You can't just take three girls!"

"I'm a pirate, I can take whatever I feel like," Eoleo laughed. "Tell you what, though, I'll see if I can't help hook you up with someone." The two of them went off into the crowd together. Matthew sighed at their antics. He just hoped neither of them would get kicked out. Kalay may have been relaxed about state functions, but they were downright prissy compared to Champa.

Seeing that he wouldn't get to ask Sveta to dance anytime soon, Matthew turned to the remaining girl in their group. "Himi, would you care to dance?"

"I didn't know you knew how," she said, allowing herself to be led onto the dance floor.

"I don't get much practice," Matthew admitted, holding one of Himi's hands and putting his other hand on her waist, "but mom made sure I knew how."

"Lady Jenna? I've never met her, but she doesn't seem the dancing type from what I've heard."

Matthew laughed. "She's not, really. But apparently dad tried to dance with her on one of their first dates. She said it was a disaster. In the end he made a minor earthquake just to distract everyone enough for the two of them to escape the dance. She just wanted to make sure I'd never be in the same position myself."

Himi laughed. "Your father sounds like a lot of fun."

Matthew nodded. "He usually is. But sometimes he gets into his leader mode, and then he can be ridiculously pig-headed. I think that might be what ended things with him and mom. He's always looking towards the next mission."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be," Matthew said. "It was a long time ago. I've gotten used to it."

"Still, I have a hard time imagining what your childhood must have been like."

"It wasn't all that bad," Matthew shrugged. "Dad seemed to loosen up a bit when Garet and Tyrell joined us at the cabin. I hope my friendship with everyone can stay as strong as dad and Garet's. Those two are inseparable."

Himi nodded agreement. "That would be nice. I never had much in the way of friends. Everyone on Yamata sees me more as a princess than a person, and living on an island I wasn't really able to get out to meet other people. Now Eoleo makes a point of stopping by to say 'hi' whenever he's in the area." Himi giggled. "He's got this young navigator who I think he's trying to hook me up with."

"That's nice of him," Matthew said.

"That's funny," Himi said. "We have become friends, but we're not going to become more than that. Eoleo has yet to realize he's gay."

Matthew laughed with Himi. "Oh, that is funny. Of course Eoleo would be the last to figure it out!"

The song came to an end, and Matthew let go of Himi.

"Thank you for the dance," Himi bowed.

"My pleasure," Matthew nodded. As the first notes of the next song began, a young beastman asked Himi for a dance. She waved at Matthew and went off with her new dance partner.

"Matthew!"

Matthew turned towards the voice. "Oh, Hou Ju!"

"I didn't know if you would stick around for the ball," she said, smiling. "It's good to see you."

"You too. Care to dance?"

"Oh, I'd love to!"

Matthew normally wasn't terribly social, but this was a good way to pass the time until he had a chance to dance with Sveta. Besides that, Hou Ju was a friend.

"How's Ryu Kou doing these days?" Matthew asked.

"He's fine," she answered. "I know he feels like he should've been able to save Hou Zan, but he's getting past that. He was going to come here to represent Sana, but we decided I would be the better choice."

"Better choice? How so?"

"Politically, it sends a very clear message. I was almost executed here. I have every right to be terrified and not want to come back here ever again. So by coming to this event we're sending the message that we have forgiven Morgal and moved past that. We're declaring our old grudges to be wiped away."

"I hadn't thought about that," Matthew said. "So, what messages are some of the other nations sending?"

"Well, Kalay did well sending Ivan. He's Hammet's heir, but not actually blood related. That means he's only Hammet's heir because Hammet says so, and Karis has no official standing. If they had just let Karis represent them they might have well not sent anybody. Everyone respects her as a Warrior of the Eclipse, but until Ivan takes over Kalay she has no political clout of her own there. Ayuthay and Champa did the most any nation could, sending their leader. Ayuthay in particular, since King Paithos just died and Amiti has yet to be crowned. They're showing great respect by putting that off until he returns. I think some of the politicians will be heading straight to Ayuthay after this for his coronation."

"My friends and I were all going to go there right after this via Eoleo's ship," Matthew said, nodding.

"Ryu Kou may have already set out for Ayuthay," Hou Ju said. "Yamata sent their princess," Hou Ju returned to evaluating the representatives, "which is almost as good as Ayuthay and Champa."

"What about Imil letting Rief represent them?"

She frowned. "I'm not really sure. Imil doesn't have a king or an emperor, but I know Lady Mia is very important. I just don't know enough about Imil's politics to judge how much standing Rief actually has. I'm sure Sveta is fine with it, being friends with all of you, so I just hope none of the other nobles take issue with it."

"Who was that man from Tolbi?" Matthew asked. "He didn't really look like he belonged."

Hou Ju laughed. "You'd be right about that. Tolbi is far enough away and so uninvolved in the politics of this region that they can get away with sending just about anybody. That man is the assistant to a senator, and very new at his job, I've been told. This is probably his first state function, and on his end of the continent he wouldn't be worthy of attending any state functions. His presence isn't so much insulting, as it is meant to show that Tolbi has no interest here. Which could be comforting knowing the way Tolbi is always looking to expand its territory."

"I think that just leaves Kaocho and Bilibin. Neither of their people looked too happy to be here."

Hou Ju nodded. "Of course neither nation is fond of Morgal. Kaocho sent their cabinet minister, who's just one step below their king. It would be a surprisingly respectful gesture if not for the fact that Kaocho's military was wiped out during the Grave Eclipse. Right now they're desperate to not make any more enemies. They aren't happy about it, but they'll do everything they can to keep nearby nations happy. As for the Bilibin woman, she's Lady McCoy's personal aide. Rather high up if you know much about politics in Bilibin."

"So that's respectful?"

"It could've been. But rather than travel through Border Town and across Morgal, she took a warship straight to Belinsk's port. She's got a large compliment of armed men with her, and has not said a word to Sveta. I'm pretty sure she's already left."

"No doubting what message they're sending. 'We don't trust you, and we don't like you, and we don't approve of your queen'."

"Exactly. They probably wouldn't have sent anyone at all, but that could've been interpreted as them not caring about Morgal. This way they show that they do care, but not in a good way."

Matthew could tell the song would be ending soon, and looked around to see if he might be able to get in a dance with Sveta. Her royal gown made her stand out, even among the well-dressed crowd in attendance, and the crowd left plenty of room around her and her dance partner. Sveta looked a little self-conscience being the center of all of the attention.

"It's going to be hard for her," Hou Ju said, seeing where he was looking.

"Yeah," Matthew agreed, letting go of Hou Ju as the song ended. "Thank you for the dance."

"My pleasure," she smiled.

Matthew tried to make his way to Sveta, but she was bombarded with dance requests the moment the song ended.

"Hey, Matthew," Matthew turned to see Eoleo leaning in close to him. "Can I ask you for a favor?"

"Anything."

"Could you go insult the honor of the girl in the yellow dress over there."

Matthew's jaw fell. "You want me to what?"

"Yeah, turns out, she's totally got a thing for men fighting to protect the honor of a lady. So I figure you can go insult her, I defend her and take you outside, maybe rip up my clothes a bit, and we're good."

Matthew rubbed his forehead. "Eoleo, I am not going to deceive some poor woman just so you can have sex with her."

"I'm insulted," Eoleo said. "This could be the start of a very meaningful relationship! To imply that such a woman is only good for sex is-"

"You know she can't hear you being outraged from here."

"Damn it! You said any favor!"

"I said you could ask anything, I said nothing about how I would answer."

"Come on, help a guy out!"

"What about Tyrell?" Matthew said, trying to wiggle out of this. "Weren't you going off with him?"

"Yeah, well, he decided to ditch this place for one of the tavern parties."

"Why'd he do that?"

"I convinced him to. The guy's too socially awkward. He was messing with my game."

Matthew sighed. "Why is it that I have such weird friends?"

"U-um, excuse me?"

Matthew saw a timid beastgirl at his elbow. She looked to be fourteen or so. "Yes?"

"You're Sir Matthew, right? You lead Queen Sveta during the Grave Eclipse?"

"That's right."

"C-could I," she paused, and then swallowed hard. "Could I ask you to dance!" she said, her eyes shut tightly.

Eoleo smirked and walked off towards the woman in yellow.

"Of course," Matthew smiled. The girl opened her eyes and showed a huge smile.

Matthew hadn't realized that there were almost as many people eager to dance with him here as there were people wanting to dance with Sveta. Most of the women weren't going to ask for a dance, but managed to be conspicuously close to Matthew every time a song ended. Some tried to start conversations, while others just tried to look alluring. It made making his way over to Sveta rather difficult. He danced with many of these strangers, not wanting to appear rude, but only seemed to be getting further away from Sveta. That was why he was so startled when a song ended and he turned around. "Sveta!" he said happily.

"May I have this dance?" she asked, extending a hand towards him.

"Of course," Matthew smiled, grabbing her hand and pulling her close. Though he had been in this position many times tonight, with many different women, it was different with Sveta. It was special.

"I was worried we wouldn't have a chance to talk," she said, leaning in towards Matthew.

"Me too," Matthew said. "You're very popular."

"You're not doing so bad yourself," she said, and then frowned. "Probably just as well."

"What do you mean?"

She looked down, seemingly ashamed of what she was going to say. "Matthew, I can't see you."

Matthew froze for a moment, before he remembered that all eyes were on them and he should act natural. "I don't understand."

"Matthew, know that I do love you. That's not changing. But I've been looking at the political situation here."

"Politics?"

"I'm a queen. My every move is scrutinized. If I say or do the wrong thing I could start a war. People's lives hang in the balance. I need to be careful."

"And being careful means we can't be together."

She nodded. "Probably. There's a lot to consider. Despite how everything appears tonight, support for me is not unanimous in Morgal. Marrying a foreigner would be seen very poorly. It might seem like the first step on the way to being slaves for humans once more."

"But your people love me!" Matthew said. "They were begging me to stay."

"Yes, they were. You are a hero and people would feel much more comfortable with you here. But there's a big difference between wanting a hero guard and wanting a human king."

"They can't be that opposed to it," Matthew tried. "Surely-"

"It's not just my people. You are a grand warrior, capable of changing the world. Other nations might see our union as an attempt to arm up against others. Many already blame us for the Grave Eclipse."

Matthew thought about what she had said. It all made too much sense. As much as he wanted to argue, he could see no position to stand from. If there was one thing Matthew understood, it was duty. His father had drilled duty into him from the day he was born. Just because it might work out on Matthew's end, didn't mean he could force it onto Sveta.

"I understand."

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"Me too," Matthew said. "I hate it, but I understand." She nodded. "We'll still keep in touch though, right?"

She smiled weakly. "Of course. I look forward to your pigeons."

"Maybe one day in the future things will work out for us."

"Maybe," she said. "I wouldn't hold my breath though."

Matthew nodded, and tried to remain composed for the crowd. Fortunately, he was very good at appearing stoic.

* * *

><p>Author's note: Yay for chapter two! Okay, a few notes here. One, due to my schedule that I want to stick to for publishing these chapters and the schedule of my beta-reader, most of these chapters will probably not be beta read from here on out. I don't think it will make too much of a difference. Usually there's not much to correct, but if you do notice a slight decrease in quality that might be the reason. Feel free to correct me on anything I get wrong, and I'll try to fix it quickly. Secondly, thank you to my reviewers! I know the first chapter wasn't terribly gripping, but I hope you'll stick with me! I had been considering making the next chapter Amiti's coronation, but I really don't think I have anything happening there worth writing about. So, between this chapter and the next one is when "Learning from the Past" happens. So if you haven't read it yet, please go ahead. As I said previously, it is primarily a Mudshipping story. If you don't like that, don't worry. The important information from that will be mentioned in this story as well. Hopefully it won't seem repetitive if you read both, but will still be enough to keep you informed if you only read this one. One last thing, I said previously that my goal was one chapter a week. I should specify that by that I mean I hope to release at least one chapter in a given Sunday through Saturday. I'm releasing this chapter on a Thursday, but the next might not be out until next Saturday. This gives me more flexibility, but potentially a longer wait for you guys. Though I do expect chapter three will be up sooner than next Saturday. Please review both this and my other stories, and stay tuned for chapter three!<p> 


	3. Meeting with the Queen

Matthew felt odd approaching the gates of Belinsk. He had been the strong one for his father for once, and helped Isaac and Mia get together again. Now he was back to being an awkward teenager heading to knock on the door of his crush's house. Admittedly, her "house" was a palace, but the feeling was the same. Isaac, however, was supremely confident.

"Believe me, son, everything will work out. I'm not saying it'll be easy, but I know you can do it."

It was amazing how much more positive Isaac was now that he and Mia were a couple again. After Matthew had explained his situation with Sveta to his father a strange chain of events had begun. Before Matthew could even fully wrap his head around it he had learned that his father had never been in love with his mother, at least not romantically. Furthermore, he had learned that he was Nowell's half-brother, and that politics are what had driven Isaac and Mia apart. With the sudden realization that most of his and his family's unhappiness could be traced, at least indirectly, to Isaac fearing politics more than trusting his love for Mia, Matthew had been spurred into action. He was determined to make things work with Sveta, rather than repeat his father's mistakes. Of course, things had worked out fine for Isaac, but that was only after thirty years for the political situation to relax. Matthew wasn't sure he'd have the same success that his father had.

In addition to that, it was creepy as hell to think about Isaac and Mia together.

"I am looking forward to meeting her," Isaac said. "I met her father when we got the first Roc's feather. I think I met Volechek briefly too, though I'm sure I never saw Sveta."

"You'll like her," Matthew said. "She's the best person I've ever met."

Isaac feigned shock. "You don't think I'm the best person you've met?"

"You're not a person, you're a dad. It's different."

Isaac chuckled. "Very well. So what first attracted you to her?"

If Matthew was to be completely honest, he was attracted to her the first time he got a good look at her. That was just physical, and he wasn't about to tell his dad 'she's got a rocking body'. "She's very selfless," he said instead. "When we first met, she wanted us to return a bag to its rightful owner. It wouldn't help her at all, but she wanted to make sure it got where it belonged."

Isaac nodded. "I first saw Mia healing an old man. Right from the get go I saw how she helped the townsfolk and how they felt about her. It was hard not to be attracted to her after that."

"No offense, dad, but it's still weird hearing you talk about your love for a woman who's not mom. I'm happy for you, but could you go easy on it until I've adjusted a little bit?"

Isaac laughed again. "I'll try to keep that in mind. So tell me more about Sveta. You didn't realize she was royalty when you first met her, right?"

"That's right," Matthew said. "We just knew that she was from Belinsk. We figured things out when we learned she had given the Slap Glove to Ryu Kou. It's a national treasure, so we knew she had to have been pretty important to have it."

"So she gave a national treasure to Sana royals. She really is selfless."

"That part wasn't really her idea," Matthew admitted. "It was part of a Tuaparang plot. They got Sveta involved unwittingly through her brother. Volechek knew the Tuaparang were behind it, but didn't realize what their goal was. They were both fooled."

"You did mention the Tuaparang plot before," Isaac said, remembering. "I wouldn't feel too bad about that. Alex was the mastermind behind that. He played both my group and Felix's like marionettes, and the people of Prox as well. I would be very surprised if you were able to do anything he hadn't accounted for that early on."

"Sveta still feels guilty about it, though," Matthew said. "She never trusted the Tuaparang. She thinks she could've warned her brother about her feelings more strongly."

"There's all sorts of things that we could've done," Isaac agreed. "In the end, we just have to make sure we do the best with what we know at the time, and we can't second guess ourselves after the fact. Her brother was king, and privy to information that she was unaware of. She had to trust that he had the best interests of the nation in mind, and hope he knew what he was doing."

Matthew sighed. "That's easier said than done. Our mistakes helped start the Grave Eclipse. Some people suspect as much as half of Angara's population was killed off. That's a lot of deaths on our shoulders."

Isaac didn't really have anything to say to this. Matthew decided to just keep talking to try to make the situation less awkward. "Before we left, the citizens of Belinsk gathered at the town's entrance to ask us to stay."

"Really?" Isaac asked. "You must have left quite an impression."

"Yeah, they thank us for ending the Eclipse. I wouldn't be surprised to have a statue in the town square in a few years."

Isaac smiled. "Kalay has considered putting up statues of the Warriors of Vale. I don't think they'll ever actually do it, though. Anyway, we're here."

The guardsman smiled broadly at their approach. "Sir Matthew!" he said happily. "It's so wonderful of you to grace Belinsk once more. Everyone shall be so happy to see you!"

Matthew smiled. "It is good to feel welcome. This is my father, Isaac."

"Of the Warriors of Vale," the guard said, his smile growing wider still, and showing his fangs. "Truly an honor. I should've realized. The family resemblance is uncanny. You are both more than welcome in our city!"

Matthew saw that a few people had seen them speaking with the guard, and had instantly run off excitedly. Now there was a crowd gathering as word of their arrival spread. He doubted they'd make it halfway to the castle before Sveta heard of their arrival.

"You really are popular," Isaac said as they stepped into the city. "This is the first time in a long while that I've not been the center of attention somewhere. Everyone here is looking at you."

"That's probably just because they don't recognize you," he assured his father. Though really, it was nice to be with his father and be more than just 'son of the Warrior of Vale'. Here, his father was defined by Matthew, instead of the other way around.

"Welcome back, Matthew!"

"We love you, Matthew!"

"Remember me! We danced at the ball!"

"Can you make me your apprentice?"

Matthew gradually turned the color of a tomato with embarrassment while his father laughed. He really seemed to enjoy his son's fame.

The guards at the castle maintained their composure, nodding their heads to Matthew and Isaac and letting them pass without question. The crowd reluctantly stayed behind outside, still shouting for Matthew. They saw the castle staff was neatly lined up in the halls, bowing as they passed by.

"You always get this kind of treatment?"

"Since the Apollo Lens, yeah," Matthew said. When he, Tyrell, and Karis had arrived for the coronation they had a similar welcome.

Servants opened the door leading to the throne room, and bowed them inside. Sveta sat on her throne, apparently waiting for them, with two others at her sides. The one on her right Matthew recognized as the speaker from the coronation. Milena if he remembered her name right. The one on her left was Vande, the musician.

"Matthew," Sveta said, "welcome to Belinsk once more. I presume this to be your father, Sir Isaac?"

"Just 'Isaac' will be fine," Isaac said, bowing to Sveta. "Thank you for welcoming us on such short notice."

"Thank you for your hospitality, Queen," Matthew said, bowing as well for her station.

"Neither of you need bow to me," she said, just as Matthew had guessed she would. "It is our honor to welcome you." She turned to her two advisers. "Would you excuse us, please?"

They both nodded and left.

"Dad, could I have a few moments alone?"

Isaac smiled. "Of course."

Once they all left and the door was closed, Sveta visibly relaxed. "I hate all of these formalities," she sighed. "I have to say, though, I wasn't expecting you or your father. Does this have something to do with the vortexes? Whatever it is it must be important."

"Nothing to do with the vortexes," Matthew said. "And it is important, but probably not in the way you're thinking."

She frowned. "If not related to that business, I can't imagine what it could be that we haven't discussed before."

"I've come to ask permission to court you," Matthew said, deciding not to beat around the bush.

"As I said, nothing we have not discussed previously."

Her remark stung. Still, Matthew had to explain himself. "I want you to know right off, that I do not intend to force this on you in the least. If you ask me to leave Belinsk, I will, but I have some things I'd like to say first."

"Matthew, I could never deny you that much," she said. "Do not think it will change my mind though."

Matthew nodded, and wondered how exactly to explain himself. "I suppose that the simplest way to put it... is that I don't want to end up like my father."

She raised an eyebrow at this. "Your father is a great man. You've always been one of the first to say so."

"Yes, he is great, but he is not happy. Or at least, he didn't used to be. My father divorced my mother years ago. He was miserable afterwards, but he wasn't happy before that either. It's because he loved another, who he could not be with."

Sveta frowned. "He did not love his wife?"

"Not completely. He never could let go of the love he found before. He fell in love with Mia during the Golden Sun journey. However, they let politics dictate their lives. They separated, and married others, and had children, and divorced, and forced themselves and their families through pain and heartache. After thirty years, he still loves Mia. Only now has he finally followed his heart, and in the past few days since we visited Imil he has been happier than I've ever seen. I've never seen a good mood of his last this long. I've never seen him enjoy life like this. I'd feared the Golden Sun had sentenced him to an eternity of brooding, but now he has a reason to enjoy life."

"That is good for him," Sveta said. "I'm sorry you couldn't have had a happier upbringing. Unfortunately, we can't all manage such happiness. Sometimes situations like the one your father was in are unavoidable."

"Maybe," Matthew admitted. "Though my father wishes he had done things differently back then. He urged me not to make his mistake."

"His mistake allowed you to be born."

"And we're all glad for that, but it still resulted in years of misery for everyone involved. Who would you rather be the father of your children? Some noble you were married off to just so you could produce an heir, or a man you love with your whole heart?"

"It's not that simple," Sveta said, looking away.

"But it's not as bad as you imagine, either. Your people do love me. You must've heard their cheers as I entered the city."

"Yes, a great many of them do. But some don't even like me!"

"And it's not like this could make them hate you more. The only thing that will change their minds is how you rule in the long term. Maybe seeing that you can be in a relationship with a human without being subservient to him would help them change their minds about you."

"Our enemies will not approve."

"No, but some nations may decide that if I'm with Morgal they should support it. Or at the least that it has too much adept support to risk attacking. Kalay would be more supportive, and Kaocho knows how powerful of an adept I am. Bilibin would be unable to attack without angering Kalay and risking a war on two fronts."

"What about other nations? Some that are neutral right now may see this as an aggressive move. They may feel that we're gathering adepts to create another Grave Eclipse, or some other adept conspiracy."

"They won't go to war over something like this. Not unless they have more evidence that we're starting up some alchemy machine. As the years go by and we're nothing but a couple in love, they'll see us for what we really are."

"Those are only possibilities! Everything could go horribly wrong!"

"But we don't know that! And I don't want to sacrifice my happiness on a maybe."

"I don't want to sacrifice my nation for a maybe."

At that moment the door burst open, and a large group of guards entered the throne room, along with Isaac and the two advisors.

"Excuse me, my queen," Milena spoke. "Pardon the interruption, but we've spotted someone lurking about on the castle walls near this room."

"Of course," Sveta nodded, and allowed the guards to begin escorting her from the room.

"If Sirs Isaac and Matthew would come with us I'm sure the assailant would think twice," Vande said, nodding at Matthew.

"Um, yes, of course," Sveta said, somewhat flustered by the sudden activity. "If you could come with us?"

Matthew agreed and let the guards lead him to a basement room. There was only one door, and no windows. The guards lined the hallway outside and stood just inside the door as well. Matthew looked from his father to Sveta. "What's going on?"

"There have been a few attempts on my life," Sveta said, trying to sound casual. "The last assailant escaped, and we're quite sure he intends to try again. This is merely a precaution, mind you. I'm quite capable of taking care of myself."

"Still, we can't be too careful with our queen," Vande spoke, pacing the room. "I highly doubt anyone could get past all of our men here."

"How long do we stay in here?" Isaac asked. "If it would speed things up, I could search for the assassin myself."

"How long we stay depends on when the guards feel it's safe," Vande said. "I don't think you could help much, though. Our guard will be tracking the assassin by scent. It's unlikely you could find him before they do."

"Odds are, he realized we spotted him and fled again," Milena said. She was staying close to Sveta's side. "He'll slip into the city and try to lose himself in the smells of all the other townsfolk."

"We'd probably be safe to return already," Sveta said. "But my guard will hear none of it."

"Who's trying to kill you, anyway?" Matthew asked.

Sveta frowned. "We're not sure."

"This is the third assassin," Milena said. "The first was from Champa. The second was one of our own. This one, assuming he's the same man who escaped last time, appears to be Ayuthay."

Matthew frowned. "Champa and Ayuthay are fully in support of Sveta."

"Their governments, yes," Vande agreed. "That's not to say that every one of its citizens are. Still, whoever's behind this seems to be recruiting from our allies. Whether it's an attempt to strain foreign relations or whether it's a message, we don't know. Either way, it's problematic."

"Do Eoleo and Amiti know about this?"

"I told them right away," Sveta said. "As well as Himi and Emperor Unan. If the one behind these attacks is actively recruiting from our allies it'll help to have them on the lookout. If they notice anyone recruiting mercenaries or anti-Morgal extremists they'll let us know right away."

"Actually, I thought that was why you were here in the first place," Vande said. "We recommended Queen Sveta hire a bodyguard. I suggested you, and assumed you were responding."

Matthew shook his head. "I hadn't heard anything about this."

Sveta looked down at her feet. "I didn't wish to worry you."

"Besides, if she wants to hire me as a bodyguard, it's impossible," Matthew said. Everyone looked a little shocked at his statement. "That's because 'hire' denotes that she'd be paying me. I could never accept payment for protecting Sveta. That is no job, but a privilege."

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: There we go! Another chapter! I hope you guys like it. I think this has pretty much set everything up for a while. We know that Sveta has people after her, but we don't know who or why. We can now have Matthew and Sveta hanging out together, but things still keep them from being in a relationship. Let the drama begin! We also now come to the part where I don't want to rush right into the next big plot point, but I don't want to drag things out endlessly either. So the next chapter will help us see how I'm doing there, and if we want me to move things along or slow things down. I would like to thank my reviewers, and encourage everyone to keepstart reviewing. If there's anything important you want you want to bring up, mention it in a review and I'll answer in my author's notes. Thanks for the support!


	4. The New Bodyguard

In the end, the assassin escaped again. He never got remotely close to Sveta, so it was still better than it could've gone. While they were waiting to be let out of their basement room Matthew learned about the previous attempts against Sveta. The Champa had been on a roof nearby when Sveta was heading into town. He leapt at her with a sword drawn. Sveta was able to jump out of the way, and her guard quickly dispatched him. Spirit Sense revealed that he had indeed been planning on killing Sveta, but they couldn't tell whether he was on his own or working with someone.

The second was a beastman, and a light adept. Sveta had just finished delivering a speech and was on her way back to the palace when he struck. He waited in a nearby alley and launched a light beam as Sveta passed. Sveta was blinded for a moment, but rolled away from her attacker by instinct. Some of the guard had been out of the range of the light beam, and quickly retaliated. The assassin tried to escape, and rather than risk his escape he was shot through the head by a bowman. Again, Spirit Sense failed to reveal much. He had been trying to kill Sveta, and apparently knew of the previous attack, but they couldn't confirm whether he was working with the Champa or if he just knew of the attack.

Finally, there was the Ayuthay. He snuck into the palace and used a sleep bomb. Sveta was able to stay awake, but the guards nearest her fell asleep. He got close enough to swing at Sveta a few times with a dagger. She dodged, and kicked him away before the rest of her guard got close enough. He followed up with a smoke bomb and escaped. The guard was pretty sure it was the same man they had seen earlier, but he never entered the palace this time. They also thought he might've had someone else with him this time, but they couldn't be sure. Whoever was behind this, assuming there was a mastermind behind everything, was very good at their job.

"You don't think it could be Alex, do you dad?"

Isaac shook his head. "I wouldn't think so. Alex has studied Sveta. He knows how she thinks and acts. Better for him that she be queen than someone he's unfamiliar with. Not that Sveta would willingly let him manipulate her, but it's not like he comes out and tells you he's behind everything. I wouldn't put it past him to hire assassins who he knew would never succeed, though I have no clue why he'd do that. It's just the sort of elaborate plan he might use. Still, my instincts tell me it's not him." Isaac frowned. "I can't say the same about the Tuaparang though. I've never had any dealings with them. I haven't a clue how they might operate. Plus, now that Alex isn't with them they might be operating completely differently than they had been. I wouldn't know what to look for to judge if this was Tuaparang. You'd be much better at that than me."

Matthew thought about it. The Tuaparang had operated through others previously. Especially if they wished to perform an assassination, he could see them avoiding using their own soldiers. Still, the Tuaparang were in much the same position as Alex. Sveta was a known factor. So long as she was in charge they could guess what decisions she would make. She was a dangerous foe for them, but she was too busy rebuilding her own nation to go after them. Morgal wasn't really doing anything that Matthew thought would attract the Tuaparang.

So who did that leave? Sveta had said that some of the people of Morgal resented her reign. Still, most loved her. If an assassin from Morgal were discovered the rest of the population would tear them apart. Possibly literally. Kaocho was doing everything to appease its neighbors, even if everyone knew they hated everyone. If Kaocho was behind this it was a much bigger risk than they could afford to take. Champa, Ayuthay, and Morgal would all attack if it was discovered. Kaocho couldn't afford a war on one front right now, let alone on three. Bilibin was still officially at war with Morgal, though the two nations were currently under a ceasefire. Bilibin blamed Morgal for the Grave Eclipse, and would've loved to get revenge, but assassination didn't seem their style. Besides, the ceasefire was in part because many of the Bilibins were afraid that Morgal was capable and willing to restart the Grave Eclipse. It was a great deterrent, even if it was completely false. Still, if another nation was behind it, it almost had to be Bilibin.

However, if this was the work of a small group of individuals rather than a nation, that meant it could be almost anyone. They could be from multiple nations, much like the assassins they worked with. They could have multiple goals. There was really no limit to who it could be. That frightened Matthew more than the thought of war with Bilibin.

Matthew and Isaac were invited to join Sveta and her court for dinner, after which Isaac was able to speak with Sveta privately for a while. He knew Sveta hadn't agreed to date Matthew, and agreed not to press it. Still, he wanted to meet the woman his son had fallen in love with. Matthew just prayed that Isaac wouldn't embarrass him.

To his surprise, shortly after Sveta finished talking with Isaac she asked Matthew to come in. This time the two of them were not alone. Milena and Vande, as well as a number of guards were also present.

"Matthew, your father is quite a wonderful man."

"I'm glad you think so."

"He has convinced me of something," she said. "Before you get too excited, it is not what you think. However, I had been going to ask you both to leave in the morning. Isaac convinced me that I was not being responsible. If you are willing, I will take you on as my personal bodyguard."

"Of course," Matthew said happily. "It would be my honor."

Sveta smiled. "Good. Just realize, this does not mean that I've changed my mind regarding our previous discussion."

"So be it," Matthew agreed. Still, he had made progress.

That morning, before Isaac left, he took Matthew aside. "I have a bad feeling about Sveta's situation," he said.

"You mean her and me, or her and the assassins?"

"The assassins. So, I'm going to leave you with a few things to help out. First of all, you can have Flint back."

Matthew had given Flint back to his father when they arrived home. Matthew had been making due with eight Djinn since then. He had gotten used to having nine, so it felt nice to have Flint back.

"Next, there are a few items I'd like to give you." Isaac held out his hands, with an item in each. "This," he said, holding up an oval-shaped golden gemstone, "is the Halt Gem. I assume you recall well enough what it does?"

Matthew nodded. It was apparent enough in its name. It stopped whatever you used it on, keeping them from escaping. Unfortunately, the concentration required to use it meant that you couldn't use it during battle. Still, it could be very useful.

"And the Lash Pebble," Isaac said, presenting the other item. It allowed one to use psynergy to tie knots at a distance. Such precise use of psynergy was nearly impossible otherwise. Felix's group had acquired it at the Kandorean Temple, but had been given to Isaac later. During the Golden Sun journey it was used it to tie ropes between chasms, but Matthew had seen his father use it in a number of more mundane uses since then.

"I just wish I could give you the Cloak Ball. That is a very impressive artifact, however, Ivan has ours."

Matthew had seen his father use the Cloak Ball a few times. It allowed one to become invisible, providing they weren't in direct light. On a cloudy enough day the user could be invisible outside in the middle of the day. Other adepts could detect a person's presence, but only when very close, and even then they couldn't get the exact location. Matthew could think of numerous ways that could be useful here.

"I don't know if these will come in handy or not, but it never hurts to be prepared. Feel free to send me a pigeon if you need anything."

"Don't worry, dad, I'll be fine."

Isaac patted Matthew on the shoulder. "I'm sure you will be. You're a good man. I'm proud of you."

Matthew was worried, but was determined to protect Sveta. If he was lucky, he would be able to prove to her that they could be together without endangering anybody. Even if that failed, at least he could help keep her safe, and maybe get to the bottom of this plot.

Thus, Matthew was able to begin spending all day with Sveta. Surprisingly, it wasn't all that he had hoped it would be. Mostly, as a bodyguard, he was supposed to keep from standing out. He wasn't to speak unless he had to, and ideally wasn't to be noticed at all. This was not very likely, since he was the only guard who wasn't beastman, and his unique equipment stood out from the standard Morgal guard armor. His equipment was far superior to the standard uniform, and judged to be worth standing out a bit. At one point Sveta told him she was jealous, because she was more used to her combat armor than she was the royal gowns and the gowns didn't offer much protection. What made Matthew stand out the most, though, was that he was Matthew. He was a national hero. Once the people realized he was there to stay for a while they stopped cheering in the streets for him when he passed, but he still got far more attention than he wanted.

"So what was it like?" another guard, named Kolya whispered to Matthew as they followed behind Sveta while she went to inspect some of the repairs being made to the town. Kolya was a fairly typical wolfish beastman, and not a light adept.

"What?"

"Traveling with the queen! Saving the world! It must've been so exciting!"

"It was exciting, I suppose," Matthew admitted. "But not in a good way. We lost a lot of good friends. Even when we didn't see the people killed, we knew what the Eclipse was doing."

"Well... yeah, there is that," Kolya said. "But traveling with such great warriors must've had it's upsides too."

"Yes, there were. We're all great friends now."

"I've seen Karis. She's quite the looker. Did you and her ever have anything?"

"Me and Karis? No. We've never been like that."

Kolya looked towards Sveta and smirked. "Maybe you go more for the regal type."

"Huh?"

"I'm asking if you and the queen ever... got close."

"T-that's none of your business," Matthew said, turning slightly red.

"Interesting," Kolya said. "With Karis you'll tell me right away that there was nothing. With the queen you blush, stutter, and now it's none of my business."

Matthew wished he had a good way to refute that.

"You'd be cute together," he added. "I think the queen should marry, and the sooner the better."

"Even if she married a human?"

He shrugged. "Some humans, like you, are far better men than most the beastmen I've met. It's not about race, but character." Matthew nodded at that. It made sense, but politics didn't always go along with common sense. "The real question, is how are we going to set the two of you up."

"Wait, the wha-?"

"I mean, you're not together right now, right?"

"Right."

"I can't just tell her to date you, so I've got to be sneaky."

"Please don't," Matthew groaned. He appreciated the support, but he couldn't see this ending well.

"Maybe, I disguise myself and fake an attack on her. You save her and be the knight in shining armor."

"Does it occur to you that two of the three people who have attacked her recently are dead?"

"Good point, good point," he nodded, rubbing his chin. "Maybe if we-"

"Do you do this sort of thing for all your friends?"

"Of course," he said without thinking. "Admittedly, it would've been good if I'd known beforehand that my roommate's girl was allergic to that flower, but live and learn."

"So your roommate and the girl ended up together anyway?"

"No, but I tried is the point. Even if his nose doesn't heal properly."

"She broke his nose!"

"He can still breath just fine," he reassured. "It just makes this squeaking noise when he breathes in."

"Look, as much as I appreciate what you want to do for me, why don't you just leave it alone."

"It's not a problem," he said, waving Matthew's words off. "We're comrades now, it's what we do."

"I hope you're not planning on disturbing the queen?"

Kolya jumped away from the voice. "L-lord Vande! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there!"

"Not much of a bodyguard then, are you?"

"Forgive me," he said, bowing his head.

"You, however, seemed unsurprised," Vande said, looking at Matthew.

"Of course," Matthew nodded at the musician. "You're not that sneaky, Vande."

Vande smiled. "You know, it's good to not hear 'lord' or 'sir' in front of my name."

They followed as Sveta moved on from her inspection back towards the castle. "I am glad you're here to help protect Sveta," Vande said. "I feel much better with you watching her."

"Thank you," Matthew said, blushing a little.

"If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

There was one thing Matthew was curious about. "In that case, why did they appoint a musician as one of Sveta's top advisers? No offense, I just thought I'd have found you playing music in the town square, not playing politician in the castle."

Vande laughed. "I would like nothing more than to just go back to my music. Unfortunately, after the Grave Eclipse we're a little strapped for personnel. I was a close friend of Volechek's. We had much the same education, so I'm pretty politically savvy. Plus, with me always playing in the town square I'm a face that people recognize. They thought that people might feel better knowing that I was helping to lead Morgal."

"I see," Matthew said, still keeping an eye out for any potential threats to Sveta. "I hadn't realized you were so important in Morgal."

"Like I said, I wouldn't be as important had we not lost some of the people we did. Still, my family is fairly well off, and well respected in Belinsk. As a matter of fact, my family is related to Sveta's family. Only by marriage, so we're not part of the Fang clan, but since Sveta's the last member of her family I'm about the closest thing to a relative she has."

"Vande, come take a look at this," Sveta called.

"Excuse me."

Kolya watched him go, and let out a big breath after he was far enough away not to hear. "I thought he'd never leave."

"Don't you like Vande?"

"Oh, yes, very much," he answered. "But I get nervous when the nobles actually talk to me. Besides that, if we have any enemies, it's him."

"Enemies?"

"Yes, in the way of your romancing Sveta. I know some of the nobles are strongly hinting that Sveta and Vande should get married, and since he was good friends with her brother she's known him for years. They're pretty close already. We need to work fast if we want to get you in ahead of Vande."

"Isn't he related to Sveta?"

"By marriage only. Besides, they'd rather she marry a noble cousin than an unrelated peasant."

Matthew frowned. He hadn't expected there to be competition for Sveta. In hindsight it was obvious that she would have other suitors. She was a young, beautiful, intelligent, powerful queen. Matthew realized he'd be lucky if Vande was the only other potential suitor.

"Hmm, maybe you could deal with Queen Sveta in your own way, and I can keep Vande from interfering. I'm thinking itching powder in his-"

"Don't you dare," Matthew said. "I can deal with my love life well enough on my..." Matthew hesitated. "Do you feel that?"

He noticed that Sveta and Vande were looking around as well, trying to tell what it was they were sensing. It seemed to tug at his psynergy.

There was a loud scream from the city square. "Vortex!"

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Well, that chapter took longer than I expected, and I did less in the chapter than I expected. My whole family has been sick all week. That leaves me in no mood to write, but more importantly means that everyone is home and everyone wants to use the computer. But, I finished and even left you all with a lovely cliffhanger! Hope you liked the chapter.<p>

Before you review (and I know you were planning on reviewing) I have two questions to ask you folks. One, would you like to see review replies in my end author's notes? Usually I enjoy seeing that in other people's stories, but I could understand if you think it's just more fluff for you to skip through. So, review replies? Yes or no? Second, I have plans on releasing a number of one shots taking place in this canon. These would be in addition to my weekly chapter, not replacing a chapter, so you wouldn't have to worry about that being delayed any. The one shots will be put out much less frequently, perhaps one a month. Anyway, I have a few in mind and want to know which you guys are the most interested in seeing first. They'll probably all get written sooner or later, so this is just a question of which I should make my priority. Also, none of these will be necessary to keep up with "Kindred Spirits", so don't worry about that. Here are your options:

1: Amiti's birth- The story of Amiti's birth. How much does Veriti really know about the father? How much does Alex really care about Veriti? Does he know he has a son? Everything you need to know about that will be answered!

2: Isaac and Jenna's wedding- Isaac and Jenna are getting married. Jenna loves Isaac with all her heart, but Isaac fears he's making a terrible mistake. A little romance, a lot of angst. Nothing new to the plot here that wasn't covered in this or "Learning from the Past" but still should be an interesting story.

3: Blados and Chalis after the Eclipse- The last we saw in the game at the Apollo Lens, Blados and Chalis were still alive. Did they survive? Did the party just leave them there? If they did survive, what are they doing now? This story would probably be the shortest of these three, and thus come out soonest if I choose it.

So which do you find most interesting? Let me know, and I'll go with what you guys want!


	5. Vortex

Author's Notes: Hey, I'm back finally! Sorry for the huge wait. Things have been really rough lately. However, I have a laptop now, and writing gives me an excuse to use it! I'm really looking forward to getting back into my writing, and will try to go back to my one chapter a week schedule I had going in February, but I can't promise anything. I'm taking a couple of courses this semester, and school work will come first, and come November I'll be doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). So during school I hope to be able to keep up my schedule, during November I won't be focusing on any writing but the novel. One more thing to note before you begin reading is that I've changed the name of one character. Sveta's adviser (the one who's not Vande) is now named Milena. I realized her name was too similar to a canon character's name, so I changed it. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Vortex!"<p>

It was a large vortex, almost as big as the one Matthew had seen at Lookout Cabin. That one had sat uncomfortably close to the cabin. This one had torn through part of the palace. It was cutting an entire wing of the palace off from the exit. Matthew could see a few servants and guards in the cut off wing, shouting out the windows for help.

"Kolya, go to the docks," Sveta ordered, taking charge of the situation. "I need you to commandeer one of the smaller vessels, and take it into the bay. Get these people out of the palace and onto the boat. As soon as you get the boat back to the pier send another small ship to pick up more of these trapped people. But only one boat at a time, there's not much room to navigate in the water around the palace. We don't want to trap the boats. And hurry!"

"Yes, my queen," Kolya bowed and ran off.

"Sveta, even from the ground floor, it's no small distance to the water," Matthew pointed out.

"We don't have a choice," she said. "If that vortex grows any larger, or moves, it could collapse that whole wing. We need to get everyone out of the palace immediately. Matthew, can you go in through the front door and evacuate everyone who's not cut off yet."

Matthew hesitated for a moment. He wanted to stay with Sveta. The confusion from the vortex made it the ideal time for an assassin to attack. Still, the assassin couldn't have been expecting a vortex any more than they were, and Sveta still had most of her guards with her. Matthew nodded and ran towards the palace.

Already, anyone who could reach the exit was fleeing. Matthew pushed his way past the panicked throng and into the building. To his left, only five feet away at most, was the vortex. It was exhausting just standing there. He could feel his djinn growing tired, and slipping one by one into recovery mode. He turned to his right and ran further into the palace, before the vortex could draw him in.

"Anyone still in here!" he shouted, moving from room to room, up to the second floor. He could feel the whole palace vibrate as the vortex pulsed. "Anyone here!"

"In here!"

The voice came from an office on the second floor. Matthew entered to see a raccoon-like beastwoman in a torn dress. "Milena," he rushed to Sveta's aide. "Why are you still here? And what happened to you?" he realized that she was bleeding from her leg where the dress was torn.

"When the vortex appeared, people started rushing to leave. I was the only one heading further in. I got a little trampled and, well, claws."

Most of the beastmen didn't like to wear shoes. It certainly wouldn't have helped when Milena got trampled.

"Come on, we need to leave. I think you're the only one left in here."

"Not yet!" she said. "There are very important documents in this room I have to retrieve. I've got most of them. Grab those files on that desk," she pointed to the other side of the room from where she was, "as well as the scroll by the window." She already had a large stack of papers under her arm.

"I've got them," Matthew said, returning to her. He grabbed her around her waist with his free hand. "Now lean on me, and let's get out of here."

"Fine," she said, holding on to him to help keep pressure off her injured leg. "Let's go."

Milena was still able to move fairly quickly with Matthew's help. "Careful on the stairs," he cautioned.

"I'm fine," she assured.

They were halfway down the stairs when they heard a loud grinding sound, and the building shook violently.

"The vortex must be growing larger," Matthew said, trying to keep balance.

"Careful you don't-"

They heard a loud crack and saw the roof begin to sag above them.

"Hang tight!" Matthew jumped down the rest of the stairs as the roof collapsed where they had been standing. Papers went flying from their hands, Matthew just holding Milena close for her protection.

"That was too close," Matthew groaned.

"The papers!" Milena said, sitting up.

"They're not worth your life. We can gather them up later after the vortex has faded."

"Just the scroll then. Where's the scroll you were holding?"

Matthew looked back at the stairs. "Ah, there." The scroll was slowly rolling down the stairs towards them. Matthew snatched it up and helped Milena to her feet. "Let's get out of here before the building has another chance to kill us."

"Sure." The fall hadn't helped Milena's leg any. She had to move slower now.

"Matthew, are you in there!"

Matthew sighed in relief when he heard Sveta's voice. "I'm here!" he called back. "I've got Milena with me! We're almost out!"

"That could be difficult," Sveta shouted.

Matthew rounded the corner and saw what she meant. The vortex had grown. There were only a few inches between the edge of the vortex and the door frame. There was no way either Matthew or Milena could slip through without touching the vortex. Already they were close enough that Matthew could feel his djinn slipping back into recovery mode.

Matthew went to the nearest window and looked out. It was still uncomfortably close to the vortex.

"Can you swim?" he asked Milena.

"Like this? Not a chance."

Matthew's options were rapidly shrinking as his djinn and psynergy points drained away.

"Alright, this might be dumb, but we'll see."

"What are you going to- wait!"

Matthew launched a Ragnarok spell at the wall in front of him, blowing a large hole in the wall. The building shook and groaned.

"You're going to collapse the building even faster!" Milena shouted.

"The window was too small," Matthew said, picking her up. "Sveta, catch!"

"You can't- eep!" Milena shrieked as Matthew tossed her bodily across the chasm beneath them. Sveta was able to grab on, but Matthew saw her injured leg hit the side of the cliff painfully. Sveta pulled her adviser up and handed her off to the guards.

"Now you, Matthew! Hurry!"

Matthew took a running leap at the gap, and prayed his strength wasn't too drained to make it. Matthew felt as though time slowed down at that moment. He felt the vortex pulse, and his vision darken. He heard the building collapsing behind him. He didn't think he would make it as he saw the cliff side rushing closer to him. Then he felt a clawed hand grip his tightly.

"Stay with me, Matthew," Sveta said, pulling him up. He lamely kicked his way up the cliff, and passed out the moment he felt solid ground beneath him, too drained from the vortex to stay awake.

* * *

><p><em>"Careful men!" Eoleo shouted to his sailors. "We don't want to get too close to the eclipse before we have to."<em>

_ The ship skirted around the edge of the shadow. Matthew could see dark shapes lurking below the surface of the water. Sveta stood next to him, staring out into the darkness._

_ "Can I ask you something?"_

_ Matthew turned to look at Sveta and nodded._

_ "Do you trust me?"_

_ Matthew tilted his head. "Why do you ask?"_

_ She shrugged. "It's just that... I wouldn't trust me."_

_ Matthew thought about that. "I can see why you'd feel that way."_

_ "And do you feel that way? My brother worked with the Tuaparang, and I hid information from you. How do you know I'm not on their side?"_

_ "I don't," he said simply. "I don't really know anything. About anyone. I know Tyrell better than I know anyone, but he still surprises me sometimes. He has secrets." He shrugged. "But I trust him."_

_ Sveta shook her head. "As much as a burden Spirit Sense can be, I really don't know how anyone gets through life without it. I trusted Volechek. I never felt I needed to read his thoughts. Now I wish I had. I could be just like that. I could be a cold, calculating mastermind, and you'd have no way of knowing. Eoleo's a pirate, how do you know he's not going to stab you in the back the moment he's finished avenging his father. What do you really know about... well, any of us?"_

_ Matthew thought about this. He did trust her. Why he trusted her was something he wasn't sure he could explain, even to himself. Was it just instinct? Maybe. He saw a shape approach the surface of the water on the eclipse side, and slip away._

_ "You see that?" Matthew pointed. "On the surface, it's just water. Same as the water we're floating over. Beneath the surface, you see shapes. You can't tell what they are beneath the water, but you know they're there. You can tell they're dark, dangerous, and evil. You don't need to see the monster to recognize the shape. I look at you, or anyone, and I see water. I look underneath, and I see the shapes. Some shapes are dark, deep, and frightening. Some shapes are just ugly and twisting. I look at Eoleo, and I see the shapes beneath his surface are deep, powerful, but bright. They have life and passion. I look at Amiti, and what's beneath his surface is determined and energetic."_

_ "And what do you see when you look at me?"_

_ "You?" Matthew looked into her eyes. "You're soft. You're bright. You've heard the stories of dolphins who rescue drowning swimmers? That's you. You just want others to feel safe. You see problems, and you want to fix them. I don't think you care what happens to you, just so long as you can help. That made it easy for your brother to use you, but it makes it easy for me to trust you. I see your shapes beneath the surface, and I know I'm in safe waters."_

_ "That's all very poetic of you," she said. "I don't know whether I envy you... or think you're just being foolish. I look at people and I don't see all those depths. I don't see shapes. Just people."_

* * *

><p>Matthew opened his eyes slowly. He felt sore all over. He saw an elderly man speaking with Sveta.<p>

"He should be waking shortly," the man said. "He's just drained. And Lady Milena is fine now that we've administered a few Fresh Breezes to her."

"The others?" Sveta asked.

"A few scrapes. Several others were pretty drained from proximity to the vortex, but nothing too serious. Everyone was out before the building collapsed."

"Just barely," Matthew groaned, letting them know he was awake.

"Matthew," Sveta went to him. "How do you feel?"

"I've been better," he admitted, "but I've been far worse too. I'll be fine."

"I'm glad," she said, smiling at him.

"Where are we?"

"Our substitute palace," she gestured grandly at the small room. "It's an inn that all those who lived in the palace will be staying in for now. It'll take a while to rebuild the palace. We're still in the middle of rebuilding the city from the eclipse. Guess it's only fair. Royalty and commoners alike are now largely homeless."

"How's security here?" Matthew was afraid that this change in scenery might make Sveta an easy target. He struggled to sit up, but the doctor put his hand on Matthew's chest and pushed him back down.

"That's not your concern right now, Sir Matthew," he said before Sveta could answer. "You need rest."

"I'll be fine in just a moment."

Sveta shook her head. "I'm going to have to agree with the good doctor, Matthew. I'm giving you some time off." Matthew began to object, but she put her finger over his mouth. "No buts. You need some time off."

* * *

><p>Matthew walked down the street. He felt odd, after spending so much time as Sveta's bodyguard, to just be walking on his own. Matthew felt fine now, but Sveta insisted he take the entire day off.<p>

The main square was even busier than usual, with fewer places in the city deemed safe. The way North to the palace was blocked off, with guards keeping curious townsfolk from approaching the vortex. It still showed no signs of shrinking. According to Isaac, they lasted longer the closer to the Mourning Moon they got. Eventually they wouldn't disappear at all until the Mourning Moon was over. Matthew prayed that they weren't that far gone yet. He didn't want Belinsk to have to live with a vortex that long. Belinsk never seemed to catch a break.

Matthew kept wandering further into the city. Beyond the main square and the docks, the city was still largely in ruins from the Grave Eclipse.

"Look who's paying a visit to the ruins!"

Matthew looked up. Though the buildings in this area were all extremely damaged, with repair not even begun yet, there were still a number of people here. They looked up and began to gather around Matthew.

"What are you all doing here?"

"We live here," one man said. "And we work here."

Matthew tilted his head in confusion. "I thought there were temporary shelters built elsewhere in town?"

The man shrugged. "Belinsk's a big city. Not everyone wants to live in the shelters. Not everyone fits anyway."

"I had no idea."

"Yeah, they kind of ignore us out here. Not enough guard to keep watch here, so we're all on our own."

"Do you have any problems with bandits? Monsters?"

"Not really. We're all survivors of the Eclipse, after all. We've learned to watch out for ourselves."

"I suppose."

"Hey, let me treat you to lunch!"

Matthew shrugged. "Okay."

The ruins, as the locals referred to this part of the city, surprised Matthew in many ways. He found makeshift shops and houses, and realized perhaps for the first time just how big Belinsk really was.

"City's got lots of districts, right," the man, whose name was Vasily, explained to Matthew. "You first enter, and you're in the town square. Big important district with all the businesses, not to mention it being the first part of the city people see when entering, had to be fixed up right away. North of that you have the palace, which is a whole district in and of itself. Not that anyone can use it with that vortex. To the Northeast you have the docks. Vital for travel, it had to be kept working. Next they're fixing the Southeast urban district. You have a few shops there, but it's mostly housing. That's what they're fixing, and that's where the temporary shelter is. You also have a district between there and the docks, straight East, where they try to keep the rest of the overflow population. However, go West of the town square, and you have three whole districts, mostly houses, none of which the city can afford to start repairing yet."

"I guess I just never had much reason to go beyond the town square," Matthew said. "Still, some of these buildings don't look too stable. Couldn't you squeeze in to the shelters?"

"Three districts worth of people? Plus all the refugees from the farms and small villages in the countryside? Not a chance."

"How did so many people survive the Grave Eclipse anyway?" Matthew asked. "Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled they did, but I have a hard time imagining how. Did they all manage to escape the eclipse, or did they find some shelter within its boundaries?"

"Hardly anyone escaped. Ports froze up and boats were destroyed, so if you weren't close enough to the ocean to get out to sea in the first couple hours, odds were you weren't ever getting out that way. Then of course the mountains kept us from going South, and almost no one managed to slip past the Bilibin border to escape the eclipse westward. People built what fortifications they could and either tried to keep enough light to keep the monsters away, or just hid and hoped the monsters wouldn't find them. That was only temporary of course. There were a few warriors who were strong enough to fight off eclipse beasts. People would gather together and make camps. The camps were guarded by a few warriors, with a few others venturing out to find other survivors, or flammable material to keep the camps bright. Camps found each other, and joined resources when they could. Sometimes a camp would get overrun, but if you had been managing things well you knew where the next nearest one was and your people escaped there. Anyone who showed the slightest aptitude was trained how to fight. Even if the most they could do was distract a monster for a moment while a more experienced fighter finished it off. Eventually, we had enough warriors who could handle themselves that communication and trade between the camps became easier. Even the warriors still ran away from most of the monsters, but they were strong enough to fight when that wasn't an option. By the time the Eclipse was over the commoners of Morgal were an efficient fighting machine."

"That's amazing," Matthew said, thoroughly in awe. "That's amazing organization for people in the middle of an apocalypse. It just happened organically?"

Vasily hesitated. "Not quite. There were a few… exceptional individuals. People who made it happen."

"I would love to meet some of these people. They should be involved in the reconstruction. I'm sure Sveta would welcome people like that into her administration."

"I don't think so," he said quietly. "Don't get me wrong, Queen Sveta is very wise, and I'm sure she would use all the resources at her disposal. But these people would rather not… that is to say I think they'd rather stay in the background."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"It's not really my place to say," he faltered. "I owe my life to them, and so if they want to keep a secret I'm not going to be the one to expose it."

"They sound like national heroes. Why do they need to keep secrets?"

"If you knew why they wanted to keep things secret, then you'd know the secret. Again, I'm sorry. I'd like to tell you, but it's not my place."

Matthew nodded, and let it drop, but he was more curious now than ever. This group that saved so many people during the Eclipse sounded amazing. They cared for the people. They were organized and competent. Capable of turning a group of scared refugees into a powerful army. Matthew couldn't help but admire them… and fear them. His only guess about why a group like this would want to stay secret is if they opposed the government. If this group was hostile to Sveta then they could easily be the ones behind the assassination attempts. His mind immediately started forming conspiracy theories about shadowy warriors who got a taste of power during the Eclipse and were loath to relinquish it. He hoped it was just an overactive imagination on his part. Matthew would have to learn more about them, and report what he knew already to Sveta.

"That's incredible," Sveta said. "I knew that some organization had been created to protect the people during the Eclipse, but I didn't know just how much they had done. People have been... reluctant to share details with me."

"I get the feeling Vasily told me more than he meant to," Matthew said. "I worry about why these people are so quiet about their good deeds. Especially if they've created an army loyal to themselves above the government in the process."

"Yes, they could be a big problem." Sveta sighed. "And I don't have the personnel to monitor the sectors of the city under their control. These people might have more manpower than the government right now."

"So what will you do about it?"

Sveta thought carefully. "I'll assign a lone member of my entourage. Someone who's popular, and knows how to get things done. Their job will be to make themselves useful and even more popular with the refugees and learn as much as they can about this unknown group. If they're as friendly as their past actions make them seem, we can work on getting their cooperation. If they prove as sinister as we fear, then the mission is to learn who's in charge and root them out."

"Sounds good, if a bit much for just one person," Matthew agreed. "Who were you thinking of? Vande?"

"No, I thought you would be the perfect choice."

Matthew frowned. "What if another assassin comes after you? I'm supposed to be your bodyguard."

Sveta shook her head. "I'm perfectly capable of handling myself, and I have other bodyguards. Your talents are far better spent on this assignment than guarding me."

"I'm not sure I agree."

"How about a compromise?" Sveta suggested. "You can guard me during any official outings, when it's known I'll be out and about. But when I'm here, surrounding by my guards, or when I make a quick and unannounced trip outside, we'll leave it to my regular people. It should be less boring for you than standing around watching me eat."

"I don't know. I enjoy our little moments together," Matthew said, smiling.

Sveta frowned warningly.

"Right, no flirting," Matthew sighed. "Very well. I accept your compromise."

"Very well," Sveta smiled. "You can start your assignment when we return from Ayuthay."

"Ayuthay?"

"I just got the pigeon myself. There's going to be a peace conference held there for the city states of Ei-Jei. Harapa, Passaj, Ayuthay, Kaocho, and Champa will be discussing relations. Morgal has been asked to serve as an impartial mediator for the initial talks."

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "They all agreed to Morgal's part in this?"

"Well, no," Sveta admitted. "But the King of Ayuthay, who's hosting this meeting, requested it."

"Of course he did, it's Amiti."

"Furthermore, the delegates from both Passaj and Champa seconded this motion."

"So, Eoleo and Bogho. Yeah, that's an impartial group."

"Unofficially, I've been told Amiti needs my advice. It seems Kaocho has put him in an awkward position."

"What would that be?"

"He didn't feel comfortable discussing it by pigeon. We'll be leaving tomorrow. You can begin your special assignment after that."

Matthew nodded. "As you wish."

* * *

><p>Author's notes: Well, it took a long time to get that out, but at least I did it, right? I took some creative liberties with the layout of Belinsk. I assume it would be a bigger city than just what you see. I made the city essentially a wheel surrounding the main square. Hopefully now that I've started up writing again and have this cool laptop I want to use I'll be writing more. Please read and review. I haven't had anyone else read this chapter before publishing it, so any mistakes are purely my own. Please let me know if you find any. Lastly, my question from the last chapter about which additional story you want first is still valid. I promise, I won't take away from writing the main story to write those, so don't worry about them slowing down my updating any further. They will only be worked on if I'm on schedule for this story and have my next chapter completed. Plus, they'll all get written eventually, so it's just a question of which you want first. So, again, your option are the following:<p>

1: Amiti's birth- The story of Amiti's birth. How much does Veriti really know about the father? How much does Alex really care about Veriti? Does he know he has a son? Everything you need to know about that will be answered!

2: Isaac and Jenna's wedding- Isaac and Jenna are getting married. Jenna loves Isaac with all her heart, but Isaac fears he's making a terrible mistake. A little romance, a lot of angst. Nothing new to the plot here that wasn't covered in this or "Learning from the Past" but still should be an interesting story.

3: Blados and Chalis after the Eclipse- The last we saw in the game at the Apollo Lens, Blados and Chalis were still alive. Did they survive? Did the party just leave them there? If they did survive, what are they doing now? This story would probably be the shortest of these three, and thus come out soonest if I choose it.


	6. The Ei Jei Issue

Well, it's Saturday, and that means I've barely released this chapter on schedule. Thank you for the wait, and thank you to those who reviewed. It means the world to me! The next chapter is all written up already and just needs to be proof read and published. So it should be out sooner than this one was. Hope you enjoy it!

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><p>"Queen Sveta," Amiti bowed formally, "it honors us to welcome you to Ayuthay." He gave a deep nod, just short of a bow, to Matthew. "We also gladly welcome fellow Warrior of the Eclipse, Matthew. Having one such as him as bodyguard must surely put one's heart at ease."<p>

"Indeed," Sveta replied. She bowed back to Amiti. "Thank you for your invitation. Morgal is honored to accept its role in the upcoming talks. Perhaps we can speak privately before things get underway."

"As you wish," Amiti agreed. "Please follow me." Amiti dismissed his entourage, as did Sveta, save for Matthew. As they walked away from the large group of servants and guards Amiti let out a sigh of relief. "I really did prefer just being the king's nephew. I can't just say 'hello' to anyone as king."

Sveta smiled and nodded. "Matthew really does have it best out of the three of us."

Amiti smiled. "I don't know, I think Matthew could get used to the royal life. And King Matthew does have a certain ring to it. If only he could find himself a queen," he said, looking unsubtly at Sveta.

"Nice try," she said. "I'm sticking to what I said earlier."

Amiti shrugged. "I think you're making a mistake, but it's up to you."

"So you don't see the political difficulties that she sees?" Matthew asked, glad to have some support.

"Oh I see them. But I don't think anything will come of it. I think you would only serve to strengthen Morgal."

"Surely this isn't what you invited me here to discuss," Sveta growled, bringing them back on topic.

"No, of course not. Sorry," Amiti had the courtesy to look a little sheepish. "No, I want to discuss Kaocho."

"I got that much," Sveta nodded. "What have they done now?"

Amiti sighed. "They're the one's who proposed this peace conference."

"Really?" Matthew said, surprised. "I didn't see them as the peaceful type."

"Me neither," Amiti said. "They're proposing the city states of Ei-Jei unite into a country. The United Confederacy of Ei-Jei, or something like that. Each city maintains a local government, including a king or whatever sort of leader the city wishes. These states would then be presided over by an Emperor. They have proposed that I be that Emperor."

"Seems a little generous of them." Matthew frowned, wondering what they could be planning.

"And the King of Kaocho would be second in line of succession, provided I have no heir."

"Ah," Sveta nodded, understanding. "That makes sense."

Matthew was still a little confused. "So they're hoping you'd die before you have kids?"

"I doubt they'd leave it to hope," Amiti said. "Ayuthay currently has the most power in Ei-Jei, so it makes sense that I'd be Emperor, and it takes suspicion off of them. They proposed this unification, so it makes sense that they'd be next in line. If I happen to be assassinated, King Wo would become Emperor Wo, and rule all of Ei-Jei. With that sort of force he could then oppose Sana once more."

"He still feels that ruling Sana is his birthright," Sveta said. "Your assassination could give him more power than he could obtain militarily on his own, and make him seem like a peacemaker as he does it."

"Don't forget, Morgal used to be a slave state to Sana. After he takes Ei-Jei and Sana, he'd still feel he only has part of his birthright. You can bet Morgal is on his list," Amiti reminded.

Sveta nodded.

"So, you don't accept this confederacy idea," Matthew said. "That shouldn't be a problem."

"I wish it were that simple," Amiti said. "If I reject this idea, I'll be seen to oppose peace efforts. It'll look like Kaocho wants to bury the hatchet and I refused their good will."

"Kaocho would be seen as the victim," Sveta explained. "Especially since they need relief efforts since the Eclipse. Amiti would be painted as a careless dictator keeping food out of the mouths of starving children over an old grudge."

"And there have been rumors that Kaocho has been speaking with Tolbi."

"Regarding?" Sveta asked.

"Not sure," Amiti said. "We haven't even been able to confirm the rumors. But since Angara separated from Gondowan Tolbi has been barely hanging on in Angara. Most of their empire was in Northern Gondowan rather than Western Angara. Kalay may be their closest Angaran neighbor, but it's possible they've been convinced to leave Kalay alone and go after easier prey. Should we fail to unite, we could be that easier prey."

"They could potentially come straight up from Lalivero and into Ei-Jei," Sveta noted.

"Yes. It's all just hearsay right now, but the possibility is too great to ignore."

"Surely Kalay would come to the support of any Ei-Jei city state that was threatened," Matthew said. "It's too risky for them to let Tolbi have two fronts to their nation."

"Kalay and Tolbi have been at war on and off for the past thirty years," Amiti said. "They've only recently reached what seems to be a more lasting peace. Kalay might not be willing to risk it."

"So let me see if I understand things," Matthew said. "You have to unify or you become the bad guy, politically. But you can't unify because that's exactly what the real bad guy wants. But if you don't unify you'll fall to different bad guys. And if you do unify you're declaring open season on Ayuthay royalty to all assassins."

"Sounds about right," Amiti said. "It's very difficult."

"And with the next Mourning Moon just around the corner the world will be thrown into chaos again, and it'll be the perfect time for any enemies to attack," Sveta added.

"It's catch 22," Amiti sighed. "I hoped with your experience with Sana and Bilibin you'd have some ideas."

Sveta shook her head. "Sana's been friendly since Emperor Unan took over, so we haven't had to worry about them. Bilibin's just been at war, until recently. Horrible, yes, but comparatively simple politically. Now that we've made more allies and scared Bilibin with the Grave Eclipse we have peace with them. Still, we're nestled in between those two larger nations, and our sea route is safer than yours, not facing another continent. Morgal hasn't had difficulties like your in a long time." She sighed. "What are the other Ei-Jei states' positions?"

"We expect Harapa and Passaj to agree to the confederacy. Neither of them are as strongly self-governed as ourselves or Kaocho, so they won't be losing much in the way of sovereignty. They'll be gaining political power and military force. There's pretty much no downside for them."

"And Eoleo's position?" Sveta asked.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "Champa likes its independence. The idea that this is a confederacy with a ruling Emperor rather than a fully unified empire is probably an effort to make this appeal to them. They do stand to gain some legitimacy as a country should they accept, rather than being just a bunch of pirates calling themselves one. So we can't really say which way the Champa people will go. Eoleo will no doubt see through King Wo's plan, but that doesn't mean he'll be able to do any more about it than we can."

The three of them had arrived in Amiti's reading chamber, and sat on his plush chairs. "I could use a drink," Amiti groaned, "how about you guys?"

"Yes, please," Sveta said.

"I'm still on bodyguard duty," Matthew said, "so none for me. Except... do you have taste testers?"

"Not as such," Amiti said as he rang a bell on a table next to him. "We have a cup bearer." A servant entered with a decanter of dark red liquid. "One for myself and the Queen," he said.

"I'm unfamiliar with that," Matthew said. "Could you explain?"

The servant poured the drinks and left without another word. "My cup bearer is in charge of my cup, and the cups of all sufficiently distinguished guests. He tastes everything before it's presented to us, like you taste testers."

"So he is a taste tester."

"More than that," Amiti said, taking a drink from his cup and coughing a bit at the strength of the drink. "His is an honored position. No one can touch my cup but myself and him. It's the only position from which I could be successfully poisoned, so he must be someone who the King trusts implicitly. It's a great honor, though admittedly dangerous should someone actually try to poison me."

"Great spirits," Sveta gasped, drinking from her cup. "What is this?"

"You like it?" Amiti smiled. "It's new. People made it during the Eclipse when they wanted something to really take their mind off of it. It's not the most expensive of drinks, but I find it quite therapeutic."

Sveta downed the rest of hers and asked for another.

"Have something you want to forget, too?"

"Something like that," Sveta said. "We'll leave it at that."

After another drink, Sveta didn't leave it at that. "It's these damn assassins! And now it looks like they're working for some... some saintly heroes! How the hell do I fight that?"

"I don't know," Amiti said. Like Sveta he was starting his third drink and his words were slurring together. He ordered a fourth drink for the two of them. "It'sh... it'sh juss not fair. You were the one on that big... what wuss it? Tha' big Eclipse destroyin' thing."

"The Apollo Lens?" Matthew provided.

"No, not that," Amiti dismissed quickly. "No, wait, it wuss that. The 'pollo thing. You should be way more popular than some... some n'assassin guys."

"I know, right?" Sveta agreed vehemently. "But they wants me dead." She let out a little sob. "I don't wants to be dead. I'm shtill a virgin for elemen's sake!"

"Yurr pretty enough," Amiti agreed, ordering another drink even though they hadn't yet finished their current drinks. "Why haven' ya gotten any tail?"

"In ma beast from I do have a tail," Sveta hiccuped.

"No, no, no, tha's na what I meant," Amiti shook his head. "Hee hee hee," he giggled. "Tail, that's funny cuz yurr a bestie woman. No, I mean sex. Look at Matthew 'ere. I bet he'd sex you up soon as look at ya!"

"What?" Sveta looked over at Matthew, almost falling out of her chair as she did so. "Did you sex my tail when you looked at me?"

Matthew shook his head. "No, Sveta, I've never had sex with you."

"Well why not?" she asked, her tone lower and seductive. "I bet you'd like it." She hiccuped again.

"Um, that's not really the issue," Matthew said, turning red. "I-"

"Don't you think it'd be nice?" Sveta asked. "I'd be all... naked. And curvy for you."

Amiti was red as well, but Matthew didn't know if that was because he was overhearing what should be a very private conversation, or just because he was drunk.

"I'm... sure you would be. But, you said we shouldn't see each other."

"I know," she sighed sadly. She began to cry. "But I want to! I wan' to be with you so much, you don' even know!" She was openly sobbing now, and Matthew went to hold her and rub her back. "I can' do it though! Why can't I do it? Matthew I love you!"

"I know, Sveta, I know," he said, hugging her tightly. "You know I love you too."

"We coul' run 'way together!" she said, brightening up. "I could juss quit bein' queen!"

"Sveta, you're drunk," Matthew said patiently. "You don't mean that. You'd never leave your people."

"My people are stoopid," she groaned. "They wants to kill me!" Sveta was crying again, and now so was Amiti, apparently out of sympathy for Sveta.

"I won't let that happen," Matthew said determinedly. "I'll protect you. I'll find those who want to hurt you and make them pay for it. I'll then prove to you that I'd be good for your country. Then, after that, if you want we can be together, and if you still think it's best we don't... then I'll leave. But I'll always support you. I'll always be there for you."

"I don' deserve you," Sveta cried.

"Me neither!" Amiti wailed, startling Matthew.

Matthew kept hugging Sveta and rubbing her back. "You've got that backwards."

"Let's do it," Sveta said, stifling her cries. "Let's have sex tonight. We can just forget about it afterwards! Then even if we can never be together, at least we'll have been together!"

"No," Matthew said firmly. "You're too drunk to make choices like that for yourself, and I respect you too much to make that choice for you. Let's just get you to your room, and tomorrow you can work off your hangover quietly. Then by the evening you can greet the other dignitaries and be back to your normal self."

"We coul' make babies," Sveta said quietly, falling asleep in his arms. Matthew picked her up.

"I'll get a..." Amiti fought for the words, "...a discrit servant show you to 'er room."

"Thank you," Matthew said.

* * *

><p>Matthew awoke to a painful sounding groan in the next room over. He entered to see Sveta sitting up and holding her head.<p>

"Morning, sunshine," Matthew said.

"Shh," Sveta admonished. "Not so loud. And wasn't Sunshine some blacksmith the Warriors of Vale used?"

"Well, yes actually. But I meant you."

"Whatever. My head hurts."

"The way you were downing booze last night I'm not surprised. How much do you remember?"

Sveta turned red. "All of it. I think I remember all of it anyway. Some of it might just be in my head. Did I really ask you to sleep with me?"

Matthew looked down. "Yeah, you did."

"And you didn't do it?"

"No."

"Thank you for that. I mean, not that I wouldn't have liked it, but I wouldn't want us to just... be like that."

"I understand," Matthew assured her.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted."

"Don't be," Matthew said. "Just be glad I wasn't drinking, or I would have taken you up on your offer."

Sveta looked up at him. "Really?"

"Probably. You are very tempting."

Sveta tried to shake the grogginess from her head, but moaned painfully at the sudden movement. "I'm sorry. It's best you forget I said anything last night."

"Consider it forgotten."

"Not just my offer. But when I said I loved you. It's better for both of us that we forget that."

Matthew bit his lip. "If that's what you command."

Sveta hesitated, then nodded. "It is."

Matthew swallowed back his emotions. "Consider it forgotten."

"Thank you again. Have I ever told you I don't deserve you?"

Matthew almost told her she had, but he was supposed to forget what had been said. "No, my Queen," he said formally, standing up straighter. "You never have."

Eoleo was the first delegate to arrive, showing up just after breakfast, while Sveta was still shaking off her hangover.

"Sveta!" he said grandly, embracing her. Sveta and Amiti were still at the (now most empty) breakfast table with servants and guards around, but Eoleo obviously didn't care about formalities the way Amiti and Sveta did. "And my good man, Amiti," he embraced the Ayuthay king.

"Not so loud," Amiti said.

Eoleo looked between the two monarchs. "You two were getting drunk last night without me, weren't you?"

"A little," Amiti admitted.

'A lot,' Matthew mouthed to the pirate.

"Well, I hope I didn't miss anything juicy."

Amiti and Sveta shared a guilty look. "Nothing at all," Matthew quickly said.

"Right," Eoleo said, obviously not believing it, but not pressing the matter either. "Anyway, I thought I'd arrive early to let you know Champa's position." He waved away the various servants, and Sveta and Amiti nodded that their people could go. Matthew, as always, stayed. "We think you should accept," he said quietly, sitting down at the table. "Champa will remain completely independent and refuse to sign up for this confederacy, but we will voice our support of whatever decision you make for the remaining states of Ei-Jei."

"And Kaocho?" Amiti asked.

"Easy," Eoleo said. "Don't die, marry quick, and make babies. Maybe hire Karis as a bodyguard the way Sveta hired Matthew."

"Are you implying something between Karis and myself?"

"Maybe," Eoleo grinned. "Truth be told, I could never figure out if she liked you or Tyrell. She's a hard one to figure out."

"Indeed," Amiti agreed. "So you feel Ei-Jei would benefit from unification?"

"Very much. You may have your cool alchemy machines to give you walls and pretty colors, but that doesn't just help protect you, it helps make you a target as well. Kaocho is at least the enemy you know. Without uniting you'll be too weak when, not if, some larger country decides it wants your alchemy machines."

"And Champa?"

"We're poor, so we're less of a target."

"You're also pirates, so you could be a target of retaliation."

"Yeah, but we've stopped pirating from anybody nearby. If Alhafra wants to haul ass up here to try to take a couple of well defended and resource poor cliffs they're welcome to try. Trust me, Champa will be fine on our own."

"I suppose," Amiti grudgingly acknowledged the point.

"And you know both of you need to get to work on making heirs," Amiti gestured to both Amiti and Sveta.

"There have been talks of marriage," Sveta admitted quietly.

"Oh?" Eoleo glanced quickly at Matthew to see how he was taking it. Matthew managed to remain stoic. "Who to?"

"Several individuals. Vande, mostly."

"And your thoughts on the matter?"

Sveta waited a long moment. "I don't know. It would be nice to marry one I love, and I fear I will never love Vande as anything more than a friend. Still, it's promising politically."

Eoleo waved that off, obviously not caring about politics.

"Well what about you, Eoleo," Matthew said, diverting the conversation. "Shouldn't you work on an heir too?"

"What, another one?"

The three suddenly gaped at Eoleo. "You don't mean to say..." Amiti gasped, "you're not a father already, are you?"

"Didn't I ever mention that?" Eoleo said. "No? Could've sworn you guys knew. I do try to keep strangers from learning about my daughter. Keeps them from using her against me. She's eleven this year. Her mother, spirits rest her soul, died during the second Mourning Moon ten years ago. You sure I never mentioned her? I went to see her during the Eclipse when I spoke with my mother."

"You left alone to speak with your mother," Sveta reminded him. "You wanted to break the news of Briggs' death alone."

"That's right," Eoleo remembered. "Well, now you know."

"I can't even imagine," Matthew whispered. "This changes the whole way I look at you. Eoleo the father!"

"Well, don't let it change your opinion of me too much. I'm still me."

"Is she an adept?" Amiti asked.

"Yeah. Not as strong as I was at that age, but she's thrown a fireball or two. One time this boy was picking on her, I think he just liked her, and she took his eyebrows right off! I was so proud!"

At that moment a servant entered and bowed to the group. "My apologies, but there are matters that require your attention, King Amiti."

"Very well. If you three will excuse me?" Amiti got up gingerly, bowed, and left.

* * *

><p>Author's notes: I kind of want to go further with this chapter, but I think this is the best break for a while. Sorry if anyone's bored by political drama and all the dialogue, but it's here to stay. Next chapter should have some good action though. I admit to taking some liberties with the geography of Weyard, such as making it so you can sail from areas accessible in the game to other continents, but it's necessary for the political drama here. I try to only take liberties like this when it makes sense, but let me know in reviews if you ever think I've strayed too far from canon facts.<p> 


	7. The Peace Conference

"King Wo, welcome to Ayuthay," Amiti bowed, greeting the guest. Matthew was on his guard even more than usual around Wo, but Amiti assured him it was unnecessary.

"He wants me dead, sure, but only after I'm Emperor. Before then I'll be his best friend," Amiti had told Matthew earlier.

"I'm so pleased to be here," Wo said, bowing very low to Amiti. "May this be the start of a glorious new partnership, and let us put our past conflicts aside."

"A noble sentiment," Amiti said. Wo went and took his place at the table. Sveta and Eoleo were already seated there, while Matthew stood in the background near Sveta.

"Amiti, good to see you," Baghi said, shaking his friend's hand. Bogho cleared his throat behind his grandson. "I mean, it's my honor to help represent my nation on this great occasion," Baghi said, bowing this time.

"It it our honor to host you and your esteemed grandfather," Amiti bowed in return. "And it's always good to see a friendly face," he whispered.

"I am here to oversee matters on behalf of Passaj," Bogho said. "However, it will be Baghi who shall speak for our people today." Bogho bowed to Amiti, and the two men took seats across from King Wo.

"Allow me to share greetings from Harapa," an older woman said, bowing to Amiti. Matthew didn't know her, but was told she was the head of the Harapa Council.

"Please express Ayuthay's well wishes to your people, Madame Iola," Amiti said, bowing back. She took her seat at the table, after which Amiti finally sat down at the head of the table.

"Welcome, everyone. We are pleased to host the first of these peace talks, proposed by King Wo, on behalf on the Ei-Jei region city states."

Wo nodded graciously, and the others all nodded back. Matthew thought it was a wonder politicians never got dizzy with all the nodding and head bowing.

"Let us begin with a toast, to the friendly relations among us today!" It was only then that Amiti realized their cups had not be filled. One of Amiti's men quickly rushed out and whispered to Amiti. Amiti's face turned grave as he listened. He whispered back, and dismissed the servant. "I apologize, but we will not be toasting tonight."

"What's happened?" Baghi asked, concerned.

Amiti frowned. "The cup bearer has died."

"The wine was poisoned?" Wo said, standing up angrily. "Who would do such a thing?"

"I am sure no one at this table is responsible," Sveta said quickly, trying to diffuse the situation. "Between all of us, there are a great many who would do harm. These peace talks will serve to strengthen Ei-Jei in the face of such threats."

Wo sat down, though he glared at Sveta as he did so.

"Now, if we could-" Amiti was interrupted by a scream in the hallway. Matthew was the closest, and had his sword in hand as he faced the hallway. A serving girl was slumped against a wall, blood pooling around her from a slash at her throat.

"Seal the room!" Matthew ordered. "I recommend you all keep your most trusted guards close at hand," he said to the dignitaries. It was unnecessary, as each was already surrounded by their armed countrymen. Matthew turned back to the hall as he heard footsteps, but saw nothing move.

Matthew went to the girl, several guards flanking him. He tried to cure her wounds, but the flesh refused to mend. He poured his psynergy into a revive spell, but still nothing happened. She was dead. Matthew stopped, and readied his psynergy for attack spells.

"Is there somewhere more secure you can take everyone?" he shouted back into the room.

"Yes," Amiti called back. "I'll lead them there. Please, Matthew, go after the assassin."

"I will."

Torches flickered on the walls, making the shadows dance. Matthew had no idea if he was hunting one person or several, or if this assassin was after Sveta or one of the other dignitaries. It made him uneasy being so far in the dark about the situation.

"Will you guys recognize Ayuthay staff from imposters?" Matthew asked the other guards. They were approaching the kitchen, and Matthew could hear several people moving about in there.

"Yes, sir."

"Good." They stepped into the kitchen. It looked like these people didn't know what was going on as they went about their tasks. "Everyone stay where you are!" Matthew commanded. All work stopped as the cooks looked nervously at the armed men. The guards looked across the faces of the people there.

"We're clear," one said. A door opened from a supply closet and a waiter emerged. He looked at the armed men and his eyes went wide.

"You, stop!" one guard shouted. "You don't belong here!"

The man bolted, knocking down a shelf of ingredients as he ran past. Matthew easily jumped over the obstacle and chased the man. He seemed to know where he was going, making sudden turns and bolting into different rooms as Matthew gave chase.

Matthew followed him through a doorway and was suddenly hit across the face with a wooden bucket. With djinn augmenting his physical condition Matthew hardly felt it. "You've got to be kidding me."

The faux-waiter raised the bucket for another strike, but Matthew's Sol Blade flashed quicker than a sword that size should be able to and the man was left with a small bit of bucket handle.

"This blade kind of has a mind of its own," Matthew snarled. "You don't want to hear it howl. Megiddo is a terrible thing to be on the receiving end of."

The man dropped the bucket handle and vomited on his own shoes. "I'm sorry!" he cried, openly sobbing. "I-I-I didn't know anyone w-would die! The poison wasn't supposed t-t-to be that strong!"

"So you poisoned the wine?"

"Yes," he whined.

"And the woman with her throat cut?"

"W-what?" he said, his eyes going bigger. "I d-don't know anyt-thing about that!"

Matthew sighed. "I believe you. Which means the real assassin has probably escaped while I chased you."

The other guards finally caught up to Matthew.

"This man is just a pawn," Matthew said. "Keep searching for-"

At that moment a red demon appeared in the middle of the room.

"What the-?" Matthew raised his blade to fight, but not in time. The red demon struck the crying man in the head, smashing his skull in, and then vanished into the air. Matthew didn't even bother trying to heal him. With a wound like that he knew it was pointless.

"Search the room! Search the castle! Search everywhere! The assassin is still here somewhere!"

Five hours later, still no one else had been found. The body of the dead man was brought to Sveta for spirit sensing. Unfortunately, they learned little more than they knew already. The man was to poison the wine, didn't know it would kill anyone, and knew nothing of any other murder. Sveta was unable to get his employer, only that his goal was apparently to disrupt the peace talks.

Further investigation found that the man was from Ayuthay, which explained why he knew his way around the castle. His friends had heard him talk about how much he hated Kaocho, so it was assumed that this was why he wanted the peace talks disrupted. Still, they had far more questions than answers. Matthew had no idea how the true assassin had escaped, or how he had called the red demon.

Everyone expected the peace talks to end at that point, but they hadn't counted on Wo's tenacity. He insisted they go through with the talks. After three days and no further incidents, Ei-Jei looked to be well on the way to unification. The initial stages completed, Sveta and her people prepared to return to Morgal.

"What do you think will happen?" she asked as they approached the docks.

"With the talks, or the assassin?"

"Either. Both."

Matthew sighed. "If an assassin really wants the talks stopped, he'll do more to stop them. It actually gives Amiti the perfect excuse to back out if he decides unification is the wrong move. Though, I don't know, maybe that will make it seem like he was behind it. I don't know anymore, politics is too confusing. But the way the assassin escaped, it worries me."

"Well, we have our own assassins to worry about."

"I guess," Matthew agreed. "Unless the assassin was after you the whole time. We only know his pawn's motives, not his."

"I don't know which I like worse. That someone that skilled might want me dead, or that there's two groups of assassins and I'm leaving one of them with Amiti."

Matthew shrugged. "Not much we can do about it at this point." They had reached their boat now, and Sveta's guards were swarming all over it. There was far too much excitement for Matthew's liking.

"What's going on here?" Sveta asked. It was Kolya who was closest and answered.

"We found a bomb on the ship, my Queen. We're searching for further clues."

"A bomb?" Matthew asked.

"Yes, sir. If we hadn't found it, it would have gone off in an hour or so judging by fuse length."

"And we would've sunk, too far out for help to reach us in time," Matthew said.

Kolya nodded.

"Have the other representatives been told?" Sveta asked.

"We let their heads of staff know. Only the Kaocho and Champa representatives took ships, they'll be sure to thoroughly check their ships before they take off."

"Sveta, this could mean-"

"I know. The assassin could've been after me the whole time," Sveta shivered a bit. "I want to take off as soon as it's safe."

"Of course," Matthew nodded. "Kolya, I want everyone searched prior to takeoff. Let me know if anyone has any suspicious items on them, regardless of their station."

"Yes, sir," Kolya saluted.

"Don't worry, Sveta," Matthew assured. "No one will touch you so long as I'm here."

* * *

><p>As expected, the assassin left no trace other than the bomb itself. Once they were out to sea Matthew felt better that they had left the saboteur behind for the time being. In some ways, once the ship and crew had been checked they were safer for Sveta than Morgal was. It was with some reluctance Matthew escorted Sveta off the ship at Belinsk.<p>

"I think we should rethink my special assignment," Matthew said, "in light of the recent attacks."

"Wrong, that's precisely why your assignment is important."

"With all due respect, I should be at your side. The assassin was able to infiltrate Ayuthay palace, I doubt your room in the inn is much safer."

"On the contrary, it's much smaller and that gives my guards an easier time watching the place. The inn is far safer than Ayuthay palace. Plus, you're assuming that we're after the same assassin that was at the talks."

"Please, Sveta-"

"No," she said firmly. "I need someone to do this. I need you to do this. You're doing far more keeping me safe by routing out this organization than you would be watching me do paperwork and eat snacks."

Matthew sighed. "Fine. But I expect you to take extra precautions."

Sveta nodded. "I will."

Matthew left Sveta in her room and headed for the ruins. Some people greeted him, but they were far more subdued than Matthew's first time here.

"Excuse me, ma'am" he approached a woman. She looked around a bit desperately, hoping Matthew was talking to someone else. "Have you seen Vasily?"

"Vasily? No, I haven't seen him in a while," she said. "I need to, uh, go."

"Sir, have you seen-" this time the beastman didn't even stop to answer Matthew. He knew something was different now. "Has anyone seen Vasily?" he shouted. Several people poked their heads out briefly, but went back to what they were doing beforehand quickly.

Matthew sighed, not sure where he was going to begin now, when he felt a little hand tug at his sleeve. He looked down to see a boy, perhaps six years old.

"You're looking for Vassy?" the boy asked. "I liked him. He was nice."

"What do you mean was?" Matthew asked, kneeling down to eye level with the boy.

"Vassy died. Everyone says it was an accident. They say that a little too much. 'Poor Vasily, horrible accident'. They say it all the time."

"An accident?"

"The roof collapsed on him."

Matthew frowned. "Do you know where this was?"

"Yeah, but mommy says not to go there. She says she doesn't want me to have an accident."

Matthew nodded. He didn't want anyone else meeting with 'accidents' because of him.

* * *

><p>Author's notes: I think this chapter was a little shorter than usual, but at least I got it out on time. I had it ready for a while, but kept just being lazy and not publishing it, which it why it's so close to the mark this time. It was nice to write more action here after all the dialogue of the previous chapter. Anyway, thanks for reviews! JamesK716 reminded me last chapter that I had promised to do review responses, which I had completely forgotten. So here they are!<p>

jollygreendragon – Thanks for all your reviews (whether you remember to log in or not)! I'm glad you like all the politics, as I plan to have more of that from the Morgal side coming up. The politics in Ayuthay were a nice diversion here, but as the story focuses on Matthew and he's not going to be here it won't be a major focus. Still, you'll know how it all turns out! I'm not entirely sure where I got the idea for that political drama. I want to say I made it up entirely on my own, but I might have a source I borrowed from and forgot about. And writing the drunk scene was very fun, I'm glad everyone enjoyed it.

JamesK716 – I'm glad you've liked my story so far. It's always good to know that people care about your work. I'm not entirely decided if I want Stormshipping or Sparkshipping. That's one of the reason's for Eoleo's line about how he couldn't figure her out. Personally, ever since reading "A Different Kind of Storm" I've been fond of Karis/Amiti. But I think most of the Karis stories out there put her with Amiti, so Karis/Tyrell might be a good change in pace. It's up in the air (readers feel free to weigh in on the issue).

Anon Dude – Glad you like my story and have kept up with it. Reviews are always welcome!

As one last note, I have written up my one-shot for Isaac and Jenna's wedding. I haven't edited it or anything, and I won't worry about that until the next chapter is finished, but just wanted to let you know to expect it. I'm not decided on a title for it, so just be on the lookout for something new from me!


	8. The Black Market

Author's Notes: Okay, well, I should probably tell you guys why it's been over a year and a half since I updated. There are lots of reasons, for various points during that time. For a while I was working more on my original fiction, rather than fanfiction. For a while I had to focus on my job. For a while I had to focus on school. I've also had serious health problems, that left me not feeling up to writing, lost me my job, and landed me in the hospital for a while. Still, I'm determined not to give up on this story. It may take a really long time for me to finish it, but I promise that it will eventually be finished. Currently, I'm still in the middle of my health problems. Some days I find writing therapeutic, other days I just don't have the energy for it. So don't expect regular updates. Still, I hope to get up at least a chapter or two a month (no promises though). Thank you to anyone who still wants to read this after that long hiatus. It means a lot to me.

Oh, and just to clear up some possible confusion, Sveta and her group never intended to stay for the entire peace talks. Peace talks like that take months. Sveta was just asked to mediate the initial stages, and even that was really just an excuse so that Amiti could talk to her and get her advice. She couldn't possibly spend the whole time away from her people. I should've made that more clear from the beginning, but I hope it makes sense.

* * *

><p>Matthew didn't have many options available to him. He knew that the people in the ruined part of town knew more about the organization he was after than they let on, but he had no way of pressing them without making them clam up even more. It was tempting to find someone and bring them to a mind reader and force the information from their minds, but that would be an abuse of power. If he had some legitimate reason to arrest one of them that would be another thing, but so far he didn't. Instead, he decided to play stupid, but be helpful. He acted as though he believed Vassily's death really was an accident, and as if he knew nothing about the organization he had been told about. He spent his time using his Venus psynergy to help rebuild the district. What houses he could salvage he would create stone spires to help hold them up and fill in the holes in the walls. Some houses were completely beyond repair, and Matthew would tear them down and build whole new structures in their place. His psynergy building method was hardly professional looking, but it got the job done. He assured the people that when they had time the building crews would come through here and build more permanent homes for them, but in the meantime Matthew's work gave them a roof to keep the rain off their heads and solid walls to keep the wind out.<p>

Matthew was becoming a regular fixture around the district, and it wasn't long until the people warmed up to him again. People began to go about their regular business, regardless of whether Matthew was around or not. He was surprised to see all the business going on around him. There were beastmen selling clothing and food, toys, weapons and armor, and really anything else you could want. All the things that were sold in the main plaza could also be found here, and usually slightly cheaper. There were official efforts by the government to distribute food and clothing to those who needed it, but they could only afford to provide the most basic essentials. The food and clothing for sale here were different. You could get more than the simple gruel and bread. There was meat and fresh vegetables, and home cooked meals prepared daily. The government made sure that it's citizenry had basic clothes and at least thin blankets, but here they sold dresses and suits and thick blankets. At first, Matthew thought nothing of it, until he realized just how extensive it all was. How, after the horrible situation that Morgal had been through, could these refugees have so much available to sell? It didn't make any sense to Matthew.

"They're doing what?" Sveta asked.

"Selling things. Anything you want, you can buy from the refugees."

Sveta frowned. "They have food and clothing?"

"Lots of it."

"The government gathered up what we could for relief efforts. Most people are barely getting by, and it's almost all from our relief efforts."

"Maybe you should send in some people. Buy bulk loads of food and blankets to distribute to other parts of the country."

"We shouldn't have to. Any excess supplies were to be taken to supply centers for distribution after the Grave Eclipse. The idea was that until we could replant crops and got on our feet again we would share all essential supplies. There are other cities in Morgal that don't have enough food, and people are starving. These extra supplies are being sold illegally. You've happened upon a huge black market."

Matthew frowned. "You think 'black market' and you think of shady dealing of explosives and poisons. The people love this market."

"They have much money to spend on things?"

"Well, not most of the ones I work with," Matthew admitted. "Come to think of it, mostly the people in the district just run the shops. I see strangers come in to purchase things."

"How odd. Beastmen strangers?"

"Mostly."

Sveta frowned. "This puts me in a difficult situation. If I head in there with troops and confiscate all the extra food I'll be portrayed as a tyrant who won't let her people have even simple amenities. But I really do need that food for other places in the kingdom. What I need to do will not be popular, but must be done."

"But I'm not even sure you can do that," Matthew said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, every day they have lots of food and such for sale, but most of that is sold by the time the shops close. In the morning, they have a fresh supply, but I've never seen their stores of food anywhere, and I've become very familiar with the district."

"So they're keeping their supplies elsewhere."

"But their clients must realize that too," Matthew said, thinking out loud. "And with how desperate some people become these days, that means that the storehouse would be a prime target for thieves."

"So it's either very well hidden," Sveta said, "or very well guarded. Or both."

"Thieves would be on the lookout for it," Matthew agreed.

"It sounds like only our mysterious organization could be behind this black market. They helped the people survive the Grave Eclipse and now they're making a profit selling essential goods. They're organized and well-supplied."

"But how did they get all their supplies in the first place?" Matthew wondered.

Sveta shook her head. "I don't know. But now that I know about this black market we have the grounds to arrest someone, one of the shopkeepers. Hopefully we can get them to talk and reveal where they get their goods, but if not we can use Spirit Sense and find out that way."

Matthew frowned. He knew that these people, even if they were part of the black market, were still just refugees trying to make a living. He didn't like the idea of hauling one of them off to jail and invading their mind.

"Don't arrest anyone yet," Matthew said. "I've been making friends with them. Let's see if I can convince one of them to come to you."

Sveta frowned. "I don't like it. We have people starving right now. The sooner this is dealt with the better. That said, it could be political suicide to go in there and try to 'steal' food from the common folk. We'll try it your way, but please hurry."

"I will," Matthew promised.

* * *

><p>These people had to know that they were selling things illegally. Matthew had to be careful with how he approached it, or he would just end up scaring all of the shop owners off. He had to talk to one of them on their own, and he had better convince the first one to help, otherwise they would warn all the others. His only hope was to appeal to their countrymen. Convince them that what they were doing was wrong because others were starving. Maybe if he could choose one who was close to Vassily that would also help prick their conscience.<p>

He started off his day as usual, showing up and heading towards the project house he was working on the day before. He said 'hi' to the various shopkeepers as they passed, and tried not to let his tone of voice indicate that he knew anything more than he did the previous day.

"Hi, Matt!" it was the little boy who had told him that Vassily was dead.

"Hello, Ivan," Matthew said, smiling at the boy. He always remembered his name, being the same as one of the Warriors of Vale. "Working hard today?"

"You bet!" he said. He helped his mother sell clothes near their house. "We heard there's a group coming in from Border Town today!"

"Border Town! That's a long way to go. You're mother must be pleased to be able to help people from so far away."

"She is," Ivan said. "She feels like this way she can really help make a difference to help people."

Matthew nodded. "I know about wanting to help people. By the way, how's your house holding up since I worked on it?"

"Great! We don't get those drafty winds at night anymore. And mom doesn't have to worry about her cloth blowing away while she's trying to sew."

Matthew smiled. "I'm glad to hear it." Matthew considered his options. He could probably find a time to get this family on their own, and could maybe convince them to help him. But it would be dangerous for them. Vassily had told Matthew too much and had paid with his life. Matthew didn't want anyone else to suffer because of him. But time was of the essence. "Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't I treat your family to dinner tonight?"

"Really! You can cook?"

"Well, a few basic things," Matthew said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I had to cook sometimes while I was out adventuring. And I cooked for my dad and me a few times before then. But I was thinking I could buy some ingredients from your neighbor and give them to the chef at the inn where I stay. He can cook up a great big dinner for us!"

"That's sounds great!" Ivan said. "Let me go ask my mom!"

With that Ivan ran off, and Isaac continued to his current project. It would be easy for Ivan to find him once he had an answer from his mother. And if Isaac was buying food from the black market, they might think it was safe from Matthew. After all, if he was buying from it, he obviously didn't realize it was illegal, right? Matthew hoped that was how people would think. He decided to get some extra ingredients to let Sveta eat a little nicer tonight. She was on the same basic rations as her people were. Her diet largely consisted of dried lizards. Matthew had tried them before. He didn't understand what the beastmen saw in them. They were almost completely unpalatable to him. Maybe he would buy some dumplings for Sveta. He knew she was fond of those.

At lunch he took a break and went to buy the ingredients he would need, even though he hadn't heard from Ivan yet. Fortunately, Ivan was waiting for him at the food shop.

"Matt! Mom and dad said yes! We can go with you for dinner tonight!"

"That's great!" Matthew said. That would give him a chance to talk to them alone.

"At first they said 'no', but I came back later and they had discussed it and said it would be okay."

Matthew thought about that. Why the change in heart? Oh well, so long as he got the chance to talk to them privately.

Matthew bought all the ingredients they would need, and added an order of dumplings on top of that.

"What kind of dumplings are those?" Ivan asked.

"Veggie dumplings with pork."

Ivan frowned. "I prefer chicken."

Matthew ruffled Ivan's hair. "Well, these aren't for you. They're for a friend of mine."

Ivan looked up at Matthew. "A girlfriend?"

Matthew frowned. "No. She's not my girlfriend."

"Do you like her?"

"I do," Matthew admitted.

"I bet she likes you too. My dad says it took him forever to confess to mom, but once he did everything worked out great. Have you told her how you feel?"

Matthew patted Ivan on the head. "It's not that simple. But maybe one day."

Ivan frowned. "She doesn't know what she's missing. You're so cool!"

Matthew laughed. "Glad you think so."

* * *

><p>Matthew met Ivan and his parents near their house just before sunset.<p>

"Matthew, so good to see you," Natalya, Ivan's mother, said. "You know my husband Radek? And this is his brother, Timur. He's staying with us. Can he come along?"

"Sure, the more the merrier," Matthew said. Secretly, though, he wished they weren't bringing Timur. Matthew knew nothing about Timur. He would want to speak to them when Timur wasn't around. "Oh," Matthew looked at Timur again, "you're not beastman?" Timur was pale skinned, with light brown hair.

"No," Timur said. "When the Golden Sun happened my brother and mother changed, but me and my father remained human. I've been living in Border Town until recently."

"Oh, well, I hope you like Belinsk."

"So far it's been nice," Timur said. "I look forward to settling down here."

The walk to the inn where Matthew was staying was pleasant enough. They made small talk, and soon they were at the guards to the inn.

"Sorry, they'll have to search you," Matthew apologized. "This is the inn where the queen is staying."

"Is Queen Sveta the girl you bought the dumplings for?" Ivan asked. One of the guards looked at Matthew and smirked.

"T-that's not really important right now," he said, his face going red.

"IT IS! Mom, Matthew's in love with the queen!"

Natalya patted Ivan on the head. "If you say so, dear," she said. Matthew noticed her glance quickly at Timur. For a brief moment, her facial expression changed. Matthew couldn't read it before it was back to normal.

"They're clear," one of the guards said. "Welcome!"

Matthew opened the door for them, and hesitated a bit by the guards. "Where's Sveta?" he whispered.

"In her room. Why?"

Matthew spared a look at Timur. There was every chance that he had misread Natalya's look. There might be nothing wrong with Timur. "Keep her away from my guests," he whispered. Better safe than sorry.

Soon they were sitting around the table as servants brought out the dishes prepared for the occasion.

"Thank you for inviting us," Radek said. "Meals like this are truly rare these days."

"My pleasure," Matthew said. "It is a rare thing though. There are places in the kingdom that are starving. It's a rough time for everyone."

"We're really lucky," Timur said. "We're just glad that the government hasn't taken what little we do have."

Matthew nodded slowly. "I suppose. But the government isn't all that bad. They're doing what's best for everyone."

"I'm sure they think so," Timur said. "Speaking of the government, will Queen Sveta be joining us for dinner?"

"No," Matthew said. "She's otherwise occupied. Besides, I didn't want you to feel like you had to dress up or anything."

"I think we would all like to meet the queen," Timur said. "Wouldn't we?"

Radek almost choked on his food. "Oh, yes," he said. "That would be *cough* lovely."

Natalya nodded. "I would be ever so pleased," she said, smiling. But it wasn't a genuine smile. Matthew was sure now. There was something wrong with Timur, and the family knew about it. Matthew wondered if Timur really was related to them at all. Still, he couldn't give anything away here. He had to catch Timur.

"I'll see what I can arrange," Matthew said. He got up and went towards the door. "I'll go see what she's up to."

Matthew realized suddenly what Timur had said earlier. His comment about how it was good the government hadn't what little they had. He knew that the government was supposed to take excess supplies, and here Matthew had brought some excess food to the inn where the queen was staying. Matthew might've been able to feign ignorance of the black market, but there was no way the anyone in this inn wouldn't know it. Matthew had already given himself away! He turned back towards the table just as Timur reached him. Timur had grabbed one of the pokers from the fireplace, and jabbed it straight toward's Matthew's gut. Matthew didn't have time to react before he felt the metal penetrate into his belly.

"Guards!" Matthew shouted, and was quickly backhanded by Timur for his effort. The hand hit Matthew with surprising force, and Matthew fell to the ground. Timur jumped past Matthew, poker still in his hands, and ran for the stairs leading up.

Matthew turned over and held his wound, as Ivan screamed and his parents ran over to Matthew's side.

"I'm so sorry," Natalya said. "He would've killed us if we hadn't gone along with his plan. We had no choice. I'm so, so, sorry."

"No problem," Matthew said, channeling a potent cure through his hands. He felt his insides coming back together. The damage had been massive, but there was little that potent cure couldn't heal. Once Matthew felt that the psynergy had finished working, he stood up, much to Natalya and Radek's surprise. By this time the room was filled with guards. "Watch them," Matthew said, gesturing at the family. "Except you two," he chose the two guards closest to him. "You two come with me to the queen."

Matthew sprinted up the stairs two at a time, wishing he had had his sword on him at dinner. Still, he had his psynergy, and it would be difficult to wield the Sol Blade in this inn anyway.

He reached Sveta's room. The door had been kicked off of its hinges. He charged into the room, ready to save Sveta. He saw her standing there, one of her guards knocked senseless to the side, the fireplace poker in her hand, and Timur on the ground, smoke rising from his body.

"I believe this was the Ayuthayan assassin who attacked me previously," Sveta said. "Unfortunately, I was unable to take him alive."

Matthew smirked. "And here I was worried about you."

"How did he... Matthew!" Sveta ran to Matthew and looked at his abdomen. His clothes were bloodstained with a neat hole through the belly.

"I'm fine," Matthew said, dismissing Sveta's worry. "It was nothing my psynergy couldn't take care of."

"He stabbed you? Matthew, I..." Sveta gave up on words and just hugged Matthew. Matthew felt her crying. "I saw your wound and... I was so worried."

"I'm fine," Matthew repeated, running his hand through her hair. "I'm fine."

* * *

><p>Author's notes: And there it is! The next chapter! I hope this meets with satisfaction. This was a really hard chapter to write, because at first I didn't know where I was going with it. I'm still a little stuck on how to keep this story going. There's lots that I want to do eventually, but can't really do yet, and getting there is proving difficult. Well, review and let me know what you think.<p>

Review Replies

There's not actually much specifically to reply to here. Thanks to JamesK716, Adz 99, The Wizard of Fire-Islinger, and the guest for their reviews since last I posted, and thanks to anyone who's ever reviewed, and also thanks to people who have favorited and followed this story. I think I answered JamesK716's remark at the start of the chapter, and thanks to Adz 99 for pointing out the typos, I'll get around to fixing those later. Once more, thank you to anyone who stuck with me through this long hiatus. Until next time, take care!


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